563
CXUS51 KCAR 040017
CLSCAR
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
714 PM EST SUN MAR 03 2024
...............................
...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
12/1/2023 TO 2/29/2024...
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 60 12/01/2020
LOW -41 02/01/1955
HIGHEST 58 12/18 MM MM 47 12/03
12/07
02/16
LOWEST -12 01/31 MM MM -22 02/01
AVG. MAXIMUM 30.2 24.1 6.1 27.7
AVG. MINIMUM 13.3 6.4 6.9 10.8
MEAN 21.7 15.3 6.4 19.2
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 57 68.7 -11.7 64
DAYS MIN <= 32 87 87.9 -0.9 87
DAYS MIN <= 0 10 33.8 -23.8 21
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 12.62 2008
MINIMUM 2.38 1944
TOTALS 7.01 8.97 -1.96 12.03
DAILY AVG. 0.07 NAN NAN 0.13
DAYS >= .01 27 41.0 -14.0 51
DAYS >= .10 18 20.3 -2.3 18
DAYS >= .50 5 5.9 -0.9 10
DAYS >= 1.00 1 1.0 0.0 4
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 1.75 12/10 TO 12/11 1.93 01/12 TO 01/13
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 128.7 2008
TOTALS 46.1 75.5 -29.4 85.8
SINCE 7/1 57.0 87.7 -30.7 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 5 13
DAYS >= 1.0 13 18.7 -5.7 MM
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 15 02/02 26 01/31
24 HR TOTAL MM MM 19.7
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 3909 4471 -562 4080
SINCE 7/1 5593 6554 -961 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM
............................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 36/160 DATE 12/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 54/170 DATE 12/18
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 27
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 27
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 37
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 73
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 2 RAIN 5
LIGHT RAIN 16 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 6 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 4 SNOW 9
LIGHT SNOW 64 SLEET 1
FOG 44 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 7
HAZE 8
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
* INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
..NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE WINTER 2023-2024 CLIMATE SUMMARY
METEOROLOGICAL WINTER (DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY) FINISHED WITH WELL
ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE AVERAGE DOWNEAST
AND ACROSS THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AND BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS NORTHERN
AREAS. SNOWFALL WAS BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION.
IT WAS THE WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD IN CARIBOU, HOULTON, AND
MILLINOCKET, AND RANKED AS THE 3RD WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD IN
BANGOR.
SNOWFALL WAS WELL BELOW AVERAGE WITH A 3-MONTH TOTAL OF 26" IN
BANGOR WHICH MADE IT THE 6TH LEAST SNOWY WINTER ON RECORD. IN
CARIBOU, 46.1" OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED DURING THE 3-MONTH PERIOD MAKING
IT THE 8TH LEAST SNOWY METEOROLOGICAL WINTER ON RECORD.
DECEMBER 2023 FOR THE REGION AS A WHOLE FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION, BUT WELL BELOW AVERAGE
SNOWFALL AND SNOW DEPTH. IT WAS THE 2ND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD
FOR CARIBOU AND HOULTON, A TIE FOR 3RD WARMEST FOR MILLINOCKET, AND
4TH WARMEST FOR BANGOR.
TWO EVENTS COMPOSED THE MAJORITY OF PRECIPITATION FOR DECEMBER WITH
THE FIRST ON THE 10-11TH AND THE SECOND ON THE 18TH WHERE 1.50-2.50
INCHES OCCURRED WITH EACH EVENT AT THE CLIMATE SITES, MOSTLY OR
ENTIRELY IN THE FORM OF RAIN. OF SPECIAL NOTE WAS THE HEAVY
RAIN/HIGH WIND EVENT OF THE 18TH. IN ADDITION TO HEAVY RAINFALL AT
THE CLIMATE SITES, FLOODING RAINFALL TOTALS UPWARDS OF 5 INCHES OVER
THE CENTRAL MAINE HIGHLANDS RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT RIVER FLOODING
OVER THE PISCATAQUIS AND PENOBSCOT RIVER VALLEYS. THIS EVENT WAS
ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS, RESULTING IN NUMEROUS
DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES AND OVER 90,000 POWER OUTAGES.
JANUARY 2024 FOR THE REGION AS A WHOLE FINISHED WITH ABOVE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION WAS MOSTLY BELOW AVERAGE, EXCEPT
SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE ALONG THE COAST. SNOWFALL WAS NEAR AVERAGE
ACROSS THE REGION. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF THE MONTH OCCURRED
ON THE 10TH AND 13TH WHEN SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING WAS OBSERVED
ALONG THE WASHINGTON AND HANCOCK COUNTY COASTS. ALTHOUGH THE
OBSERVED WATER LEVELS WERE HIGHER ON THE 13TH, HIGHER WAVE HEIGHTS
AND MORE SIGNIFICANT WAVE RUN UP LED TO MORE WIDESPREAD AND
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING ON THE 10TH.
FEBRUARY 2024 FOR THE REGION AS A WHOLE FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL WERE BOTH WELL
BELOW AVERAGE. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA RANGED FROM 5.5 TO 7.5
DEGREES (F) ABOVE 1991-2020 NORMALS. IT RANKED AS THE 5TH WARMEST
FEBRUARY ON RECORD AT BOTH CARIBOU AND HOULTON, THE 4TH WARMEST IN
MILLINOCKET, AND THE 9TH WARMEST IN BANGOR. SNOWFALL WAS WELL BELOW
AVERAGE ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. IN FACT, IT WAS THE 2ND LEAST
SNOWY FEBRUARY ON RECORD IN BANGOR WITH ONLY 1.2 INCHES OF SNOW. THE
ONLY YEAR ON RECORD WITH LESS SNOWFALL IN FEBRUARY WAS IN 1998 WHEN
AN INCH WAS OBSERVED. IN CARIBOU, ONLY 8.7 INCHES OF SNOW WAS
OBSERVED WHICH MADE IT THE 7TH LEAST SNOWY FEBRUARY ON RECORD.
A WARM-UP AND RAIN AT THE END OF THE MONTH WIPED OUT SO MUCH OF THE
SNOWPACK ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS AND THE SNOWMOBILE TRAILS BECAME POOR
AND IN MOST AREAS THE SNOWMOBILE SEASON ENDED. THE LACK OF SNOW HAD
SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS FOR WINTER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES CAUSING
MANY TO BE POSTPONED OR CANCELLED.
CB/VJN
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page