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

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

Images Courtesy Brian Brettschneider, Alaska State Climatologist

177
CXUS51 KCAR 060335
CLSCAR

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
1035 PM EST THU DEC 05 2024

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

...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
9/1/2024 TO 11/30/2024...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1939 TO 2024

WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 92 09/01/2010
LOW -8 11/30/1995
HIGHEST 86 09/18 MM MM 86 09/04
09/05
LOWEST 19 11/14 MM MM 6 11/25
AVG. MAXIMUM 57.4 53.4 4.0 56.0
AVG. MINIMUM 39.7 35.8 3.9 39.2
MEAN 48.6 44.6 4.0 47.6
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.1 -0.1 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 7.8 -7.8 7
DAYS MIN <= 32 23 38.2 -15.2 34
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.2 -0.2 0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 19.03 2008
MINIMUM 4.65 1955
TOTALS 4.84 10.78 -5.94 10.06
DAILY AVG. 0.05 0.12 -0.07 0.11
DAYS >= .01 34 38.4 -4.4 41
DAYS >= .10 19 22.0 -3.0 20
DAYS >= .50 1 7.0 -6.0 9
DAYS >= 1.00 0 2.2 -2.2 1
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.60 1.30 10/07 TO 10/08

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 35.3 1974
TOTALS 6.6 12.2 -5.6 10.9
SINCE 7/1 6.6 12.2 -5.6 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0
DAYS >= 1.0 2 3.4 -1.4 3
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 5 11/29 3 10/31
11/23
11/27
24 HR TOTAL MM MM

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 1505 1877 -372 1605
SINCE 7/1 1554 1991 -437 MM
COOLING TOTAL 32 18 14 47
SINCE 1/1 399 224 175 MM
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 6.8
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 29/310 DATE 11/08
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 52/320 DATE 10/12

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.52
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 35
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 23
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 33

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 72

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 8 RAIN 16
LIGHT RAIN 44 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 1
LIGHT SNOW 13 SLEET 1
FOG 36 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 3
HAZE 3

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

...NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE 2024 FALL CLIMATE NARRATIVE...

METEOROLOGICAL FALL (SEPTEMBER 1ST - NOVEMBER 30TH) FINISHED WITH
WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED GENERALLY 2
TO 4 DEGREES (F) ABOVE 1991-2020 AVERAGES. PRECIPITATION WAS WELL
BELOW NORMAL, GENERALLY RANGING FROM 30 TO 60 PERCENT OF AVERAGE.
SNOWFALL WAS GENERALLY AT OR BELOW NORMAL. AT THE START OF
SEPTEMBER, NONE OF THE FORECAST AREA WAS IN DROUGHT CONDITIONS
ACCORDING TO THE US DROUGHT MONITOR. BY THE END OF NOVEMBER, MOST
THE AREA WAS UNDER MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) CONDITIONS. THE EXCEPTIONS
WERE THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY AND THE NORTH WOODS TOWARDS THE QUEBEC
BORDER, WHERE ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS PREVIALED.

FOR THE 3-MONTH PERIOD IT WAS THE WARMEST ON RECORD IN CARIBOU WITH
AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 48.6F. THIS WAS 0.1F WARMER THAN THE OLD
RECORD FROM 2011. ALL 7 OF THE TOP 7 WARMEST FALLS ON RECORD IN
CARIBOU HAVE OCCURRED SINCE 2011. NINE OF THE 10 WARMEST FALLS IN
CARIBOU HAVE OCCURRED SINCE 2001. RECORDS IN CARIBOU DATE BACK TO
1939.

IN BANGOR, 2024 TIED WITH 2023, 2021, AND 2011 FOR THE 5TH WARMEST
FALL ON RECORD. FIVE OF THE 10 WARMEST FALLS ON RECORD IN BANGOR
HAVE OCCURRED SINCE 2011. RECORDS IN BANGOR DATE BACK TO 1925.

IN MILLINOCKET, IT RANKED AS THE 2ND WARMEST FALL ON RECORD, 0.3F
COOLER THAN THE WARMEST FALL IN 2011. ALL 10 OF THE TOP-10 WARMEST
FALLS ON RECORD IN MILLINOCKET HAVE OCCURED SINCE 1999. RECORDS IN
MILLINOCKET BEGAN IN 1903.

IN HOULTON, IT RANKED AS THE 4TH WARMEST FALL ON RECORD. ALL 8 OF
THE TOP 8 WARMEST FALLS ON RECORD IN HOULTON HAVE OCCURRED SINCE
2011. RECORDS IN HOULTON DATE BACK TO 1948.

IN TERMS OF PRECIPITATION, FALL 2024 RANKED AS THE DRIEST ON RECORD
IN BANGOR WITH 5.07 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION. THIS WAS 0.64
INCHES DRIER THAN THE PREVIOUS RECORD DRIEST FALL IN 1978.
MILLINOCKET ALSO SAW ITS DRIEST FALL ON RECORD WITH 4.15 INCHES OF
LIQUID PRECIPITATION. THIS WAS 0.81 INCHES DRIER THAN THE OLD RECORD
FROM 1984. IN CARIBOU IT WAS THE 2ND DRIEST FALL ON RECORD, WHILE IN
HOULTON IT WAS THE 3RD DRIEST FALL SINCE RECORDS BEGAN.

SEPTEMBER WAS A WARM MONTH, WITH TEMPERATURES 1.0 TO 2.0F ABOVE
NORMAL DOWNEAST AND 2.5 TO 3.5F ABOVE AVERAGE. IT WAS A VERY DRY
MONTH AS WELL, WITH MOST PLACES SEEING JUST 25 TO 35 PERCENT OF
THEIR AVERAGE RAINFALL. THE FAR NORTHWEST WAS ONLY SOMEWHAT WETTER,
WITH 50 TO 60 PERCENT OF NORMAL RAINFALL FOR THE MONTH. THE ONLY
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL EVENT OF THE MONTH CAME ON THE 26TH. THIS
PRODUCED 0.50 TO 1.00 INCH OF RAINFALL FOR MOST AREAS, AND UP TO
2.00 INCHES IN THE FAR NORTHWEST.

OCTOBER WAS ALSO A WARM AND VERY DRY MONTH. TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM
AROUND 1.5 TO 3.5F ABOVE AVERAGE, WHILE PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 25
TO 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT OF THE
MONTH WAS A HIGH WIND EVENT ON THE 12TH, WHEN WINDS GUSTED OVER 50
MPH IN MANY PLACES. SINCE THE TREES IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AREAS
STILL HAD LEAVES ON THEM, NUMEROUS TREES AND POWERLINES WERE TAKEN
DOWN. OVER 100 THOUSAND CUSTOMERS WERE LEFT WITHOUT POWER, WITH THE
LARGEST OUTAGES OCCURRING IN PISCATAQUIS, PENOBSCOT, AND HANCOCK
COUNTIES. THE FIRST FREEZE OF THE YEAR OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 9TH IN
CARIBOU AND MILLINOCKET, OCTOBER 8TH IN HOULTON, AND OCTOBER 17TH IN
BANGOR. UP TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN THE FAR NORTHWEST ON THE 14TH
AND 15TH, AND UP TO 1 INCH FELL IN AROOSTOOK COUNTY ON THE 27TH.

NOVEMBER CONTINUED THE TREND OF WARM AND DRY MONTHS. TEMPERATURES
RANGED FROM 4.0 TO 6.0F ABOVE AVERAGE. IN CARIBOU, IT WAS THE
WARMEST NOVEMBER ON RECORD. PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 50 TO 90
PERCENT OF NORMAL WITH MUCH OF THE PRECIPITATION FALLING DURING THE
LAST THIRD OF THE MONTH. SNOWFALL WAS MOSTLY BELOW AVERAGE, BUT WAS
A BIT ABOVE AVERAGE IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY AND
SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF THE MONTH
WAS A SNOWSTORM FROM THE 28TH TO THE 29TH. UP TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW
FELL IN PARKMAN IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY, WHILE UP TO 13 INCHES FELL IN
HAMMOND IN AROOSTOOK COUNTY. MOUNTS MOSTLY RANGED FROM 3 TO 8
INCHES. THERE WERE SOME AREAS ALONG THE COAST WHERE SNOWFALL WAS AN
INCH OR LESS.

$$

NC/CB