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CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
112 AM EDT THU JUN 4 2020

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

...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SPRING SEASON, FROM
3/1/2020 TO 5/31/2020...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1941 TO 2020 (FOR TEMPERATURES)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1871 TO 2020 (FOR PRECIPITATION)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1882 TO 2020 (FOR SNOWFALL)

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH              94   05/31/1987
 LOW              -21   03/04/1950
HIGHEST            86   05/28        85       1       84  05/26
LOWEST             16   03/01         6      10        2  03/07
AVG. MAXIMUM     54.4              53.0     1.4     51.7
AVG. MINIMUM     36.1              34.6     1.5     34.7
MEAN             45.3              43.8     1.5     43.2
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.4    -0.4        0
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               4.3    -4.3        4
DAYS MIN <= 32     32              36.8    -4.8       38
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.4    -0.4        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM        22.55   1983
 MINIMUM         4.23   1965
TOTALS          10.79             12.57   -1.78    11.98
DAILY AVG.       0.12              0.14   -0.02     0.13
DAYS >= .01        30              35.5    -5.5       43
DAYS >= .10        20              21.6    -1.6       27
DAYS >= .50         8               8.5    -0.5       10
DAYS >= 1.00        3               2.8     0.2        1
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.33   04/09

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL           61.5   1906
TOTALS            9.1              15.5    -6.4     14.9
SINCE 7/1        59.6              61.9    -2.3     66.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      0
DAYS >= TRACE      12               6.1     5.9       14
DAYS >= 1.0         2               3.7    -1.7        4
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         5   03/24
 24 HR TOTAL      6.1   03/23 TO 03/24

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1809              1960    -151     1986
 SINCE 7/1       6389              7001    -612     6978
COOLING TOTAL      18                 7      11        3
 SINCE 1/1         18                 7      11        3
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.4
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    36/290    DATE  03/04
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    48/310    DATE  05/09

SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.50

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     60

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

&&

AFTER A WINTER THAT WAS MOSTLY MILD, SPRING BEGAN WITH MORE MILD
WEATHER. THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOW DEPTH WAS GONE BY THE MORNING
OF MARCH 5. A FEW DAYS LATER THE TEMPERATURE SOARED TO 70 DEGREES ON
MARCH 9. BUT IF RESIDENTS THOUGHT THE SNOW WAS DONE FOR THE SEASON
THEN THEY WERE SURPRISED A FEW MORE TIMES. A SNOWSTORM ON MARCH 23
AND 24 BROUGHT MORE THAN 6 INCHES OF SNOW TO THE CITY. IT DIDN`T
LAST LONG, THOUGH, AS MILD SPRING WEATHER MELTED IT OFF PRETTY
QUICKLY. THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION CAME AT THE BEGINNING OF
APRIL WHEN MORE THAN 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON APRIL 2 AND 3. THE
TEMPERATURE WARMED UP TO 60 DEGREES ON APRIL 6, BUT THIS WOUND UP
BEING THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE PORTLAND WOULD SEE FOR THE NEXT FOUR
WEEKS AS A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS BROUGHT COLD AIR INTO THE AREA. AS
RAIN ARRIVED ON APRIL 9 THE TEMPERATURE COOLED AND QUICKLY CHANGED
RAIN TO A HEAVY WET SNOW DURING THE AFTERNOON WITH 3 INCHES
ACCUMULATING. A BRIEF WARM UP BROUGHT ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN ON APRIL
13, BUT COOL WEATHER QUICKLY RETURNED. THE NEXT TWO WEEKS SAW COOL
CONDITIONS WITH OCCASIONAL RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS AS A SHIFT IN THE
JET STREAM PATTERN FAVORED PERSISTENT TROUGHS OVER THE EASTERN
UNITED STATES. MORE RAIN CAME ON MAY 1 WITH NEARLY AN INCH FALLING.
BUT AFTER A FEW MILD DAYS, THE COOL WEATHER RETURNED. RAIN AND SNOW
FELL ON MAY 9, AND ALTHOUGH THE SNOW DID NOT ACCUMULATE TO A
MEASURABLE DEPTH, IT WAS A RARE SIGHT FOR SO LATE IN THE SEASON. A
SERIES OF COLD FRONTS KEPT A COOL, DRY FLOW OF AIR OUT OF CANADA FOR
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WHILE WARM AIR BEGAN BUILDING OVER THE MIDDLE OF
THE COUNTRY. OCCASIONALLY THIS WARM AIR WOULD SPILL INTO NEW
ENGLAND. THIS HAPPENED ON MAY 22 WHEN THE TEMPERATURE SOARED TO 85
DEGREES BEFORE ANOTHER COLD FRONT BROUGHT COOL CONDITIONS AGAIN. A
LONGER STRETCH OF SUMMER-LIKE WARMTH CAME TOWARD THE END OF MAY WITH
THE TEMPERATURE TOPPING 80 DEGREES A FEW MORE TIMES.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE SPRING WAS 45.3 DEGREES WHICH WAS
1.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE 6TH WARMEST SPRING ON RECORD. THE
BEGINNING AND END OF SPRING WERE WARM WHILE THE MIDDLE (APRIL) WAS
COOL. THE WARMEST SPRING WAS IN 2010 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
WAS 48.8 DEGREES. THE COOLEST WAS 37.9 DEGREES IN 1956. THE
FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST SPRINGS AT PORTLAND.

WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR SPRING (SINCE 1941)...
RANK  TEMP  SEASON
1     48.8  2010
2     48.2  2012
3     47.0  1991
4     46.4  1998
5     45.4  1991
6     45.3  2020  <===
7     45.2  1942
8     45.1  2016
      45.1  1945
10    45.0  1999

A TOTAL OF 10.79 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH IS 1.78 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON APRIL 2 AND 3 WHEN
1.65 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE DRIEST SPRING WAS IN 1965 WHEN ONLY
4.23 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE WETTEST WAS IN 1983 WITH 22.55 INCHES.

A TOTAL OF 9.1 INCHES OF SNOW FELL WHICH WAS 6.4 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WAS ON MARCH 23 AND 24 WHEN 6.1 INCHES
FELL. THE SNOWIEST SPRING WAS IN 1993 WHEN 60.1 INCHES WAS RECORDED.
THE LEAST SNOWY WAS IN 2010 WITH ONLY 0.1 INCHES.

THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN SPRING 2020...
DATE    RECORD                               PREVIOUS
MAR 3   61   - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE      55 IN 1961
MAR 3   47   - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE   45 IN 2002
MAR 4   36   - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE       35 IN 1974
MAR 9   70   - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE      66 IN 2016
MAR 9   54   - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE   53 IN 2016
MAR 20  37   - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE       37 IN 2012 AND OTHERS (TIED)
APR 3   43   - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE       42 IN 2000
APR 3   4    - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE    4 IN 2004 AND OTHERS (TIED)
APR 9   1.33 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION        1.28 IN 1916
APR 27  42   - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE      42 IN 1955 (TIED)
APR 27  3    - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE    3 IN 1973 AND 1955 (TIED)
MAY 28  74   - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE   72 IN 2015, 1959, 1944

$$

KIMBLE