Spring (Mar-May) 2024: Warm and Generally Wet

Images Courtesy Brian Brettschneider, Alaska State Climatologist

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CXUS51 KCAR 042038
CLSCAR

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
338 PM EST TUE MAR 04 2025

...................................

...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
12/1/2024 TO 2/28/2025...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1939 TO 2025

WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 60 12/01/2020
LOW -41 02/01/1955
HIGHEST 56 12/12 MM MM 58 12/18
LOWEST -16 01/22 MM MM -12 01/31
AVG. MAXIMUM 25.2 24.1 1.1 30.2
AVG. MINIMUM 8.6 6.4 2.2 13.3
MEAN 16.9 15.3 1.6 21.7
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 72 68.7 3.3 57
DAYS MIN <= 32 87 87.9 -0.9 87
DAYS MIN <= 0 22 33.8 -11.8 10

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 12.62 2008
MINIMUM 2.38 1944
TOTALS 8.73 8.97 -0.24 7.01
DAILY AVG. 0.10 0.10 0.00 0.07
DAYS >= .01 51 41.0 10.0 MM
DAYS >= .10 19 20.3 -1.3 MM
DAYS >= .50 5 5.9 -0.9 MM
DAYS >= 1.00 1 1.0 0.0 MM
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 2.05 12/11 TO 12/12 1.75 12/10 TO 12/11

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 128.7 2008
TOTALS 69.0 75.5 -6.5 46.1
SINCE 7/1 75.6 87.7 -12.1 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 6 5
DAYS >= 1.0 21 18.7 2.3 MM
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 18 02/19 15 02/02
02/20
02/21
24 HR TOTAL MM MM

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 4300 4471 -171 3909
SINCE 7/1 5854 6462 -608 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.2
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 33/240 DATE 12/12
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 51/280 DATE 12/12

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 20
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 35
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 35

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 70

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 5
LIGHT RAIN 11 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 4 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 5 SNOW 12
LIGHT SNOW 65 SLEET 0
FOG 34 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 5
HAZE 9

- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
* INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

................................................................

...NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE WINTER 2024-2025 CLIMATE NARRATIVE...

METEOROLOGICAL WINTER (DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY) FINISHED WITH
TEMPERATURES AROUND 1 DEGREE (F) BELOW 1991-2020 AVERAGES IN BANGOR
AND DOWNEAST. TEMPERATURES FOR THE SEASON FINISHED 1F TO 3F ABOVE
NORMAL IN AROOSTOOK COUNTY. PRECIPITATION (RAIN AND MELTED SNOW
EQUIVALENT) WAS CLOSE TO NOMRAL, RANGING FROM 75 TO 110
PERCENT OF NORMAL. SNOWFALL WAS GENERALLY AT OR BELOW NORMAL.

FOR THE 3-MONTH PERIOD, BANGOR SAW AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 20.8F.
THIS WAS 0.9F BELOW THE 1991-2020 AVERAGE, AND THE COLDEST
METEOROLOGICAL WINTER SINCE 2017-2018 (20.6F). HOULTON, MILLINOCKET,
AND CARIBOU ALL SAW TEMPERATURES FINISH ABOVE NORMAL FOR DECEMBER-
FEBRUARY. HOWEVER, IT WAS STILL THE COLDEST METEROLOGICAL WINTER AT
ALL THREE SITES SINCE 2021-2022. NO MAJOR CLIMATE SITE FINISHED IN
THE TOP 10 FOR EXTREMES FOR TEMPERATURE, PRECIPITATION, OR SNOWFALL.

DECEMBER 2024 FEATURED UP AND DOWN TEMPERATURES, ULTIMATELY
AVERAGING NEAR NORMAL DOWNEAST AND 1F TO 2F ABOVE NORMAL IN THE
NORTH. PRECIPITATION WAS A BIT ABOVE NORMAL, WITH SNOWFALL MOSTLY
BELOW NORMAL. A SNOWSTROM ON THE 5TH WAS THE LARGEST OF THE MONTH
ACROSS THE NORTH, WITH CARIBOU RECEIVING 6.1 INCHES. THIS BROUGHT
THE SNOWPACK TO ITS PEAK FOR THE MONTH IN THE NORTH, WITH 8 INCHES
IN CARIBOU. THIS SNOWPACK WAS WIPED OUT WITH A HEAVY RAIN EVENT ON
THE 11TH AND 12TH. SNOW COVER RETURNED THE FOLLOWING WEEK IN THE
NORTH WITH SOME SMALLER EVENTS. AREAS FROM THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS
SOUTHWARD SAW SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ON CHRISTMAS EVE. GENERALLY 4 TO
10 INCHES FELL IN THESE AREAS, WITH UP TO 12 INCHES IN SOUTHERN
PISCATAQUIS COUNTY. THIS ENSURED A WHITE CHRISTMAS FOR ALL OF
NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE. HOWEVER, THIS SNOWPACK WAS WIPED OUT
(EXCEPT IN THE NORTH WOODS AND HIGHER TERRAIN) BY ANOTHER WARMUP AND
RAIN EVENT ON THE 30TH AND 31ST.

JANUARY 2025 FEATURED NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES DOWNEAST AND 1F TO 3F
ABOVE NORMAL FURTHER NORTH. PRECPITATION AND SNOWFALL FINISHED BELOW-
NROMAL AREA-WIDE. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL IN THE NORTH OCCURED
FROM THE 1ST INTO THE 3RD. 6 TO 12 INCHES FELL IN THE NORTH WOODS, 3
TO 6 INCHES IN EASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AND LITTLE OR NO SNOW
FURTHER SOUTH. FOR BANGOR AND DOWNEAST, THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
SNOWFALL CAME ON THE 19TH AND 20TH. 6 TO 10 INCHES FELL DOWNEAST,
WITH 4 TO 6 INCHES NEAR BANGOR. LITTLE OR NO SNOW FELL NORTH OF
MILLINOCKET. SNOW DEPTH WAS WELL-BELOW NOMRAL FOR THE MONTH IN THE
NORTH. IN CARIBOU, NEW YEAR`S DAY FEATURED NO SNOW ON THE GROUND FOR
THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2002 (2004 FEATURED JUST A TRACE ON THE
GROUND). THE MAXIMUM SNOW DEPTH IN CARIBOU IN JANUARY, WAS JUST 5
INCHES, WHICH IS THE LOWEST ON RECORD. RECORDS IN CARIBOU DATE BACK
TO 1939.

FEBRUARY 2025 FEATURED BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR NORTHERN AND
EASTERN MAINE. IN BANGOR, FEBRUARY FINSIHED 3.3F BELOW THE 1991-2020
AVERAGE, MAKING FEBRUARY 2025 THE COLDEST ONE SINCE 2015.
PRECIPITATION WAS AT OR A BIT BELOW NORMAL FROM THE CENTRAL
HIGHLANDS SOUTHWARD, AND A BIT ABOVE NORMAL IN THE NORTH. SNOWFALL
WAS ABOVE NORMAL, WITH THE LARGEST ANOMOLIES IN THE NORTH. IN
CARIBOU, 35.3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL DURING THE MONTH. THIS WAS 10.0
INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE, THE 13TH SNOWIEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD, AND THE
SNOWIEST FEBRUARY SINCE 2021 (38.0 INCHES). THE TWO MOST SIGNIFICANT
EVENTS OF THE MONTH CAME IN QUICK SUCCESSION, WITH ONE ON THE 13TH,
AND ANOTHER ON THE 16TH AND 17TH. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS GREATER THAN 10
INCHES OCCURRED IN BOTH EVENTS NORTH OF THE KATAHDIN REGION. BOTH
EVENTS SAW MIXED PRECIPITATION IN THE BANGOR REGION AND DOWNEAST.

$$

NC