Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME

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699
CXUS51 KGYX 070430
CLAGYX

PWMCLAGYX 000
TTAA00 GYX 030203

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
1130 PM EST WED JAN 06 2021

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

...THE GRAY ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2020...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1995 TO 2021

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART   LAST YEAR`S
                VALUE   DATE(S)   VALUE   FROM     VALUE
                                          NORMAL
..............................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             99   07/22/2011
 LOW             -15   01/15/2004
HIGHEST           92   06/20         93      -1       91
LOWEST            -6   02/15         -7       1       -3
AVG. MAXIMUM    56.4               55.4     1.0     54.0
AVG. MINIMUM    39.0               37.3     1.7     37.1
MEAN            47.7               46.4     1.3     45.5
DAYS MAX >= 90     5                5.3    -0.3        3
DAYS MAX <= 32    37               50.9   -13.9       62
DAYS MIN <= 32   145              143.2     1.8      148
DAYS MIN <= 0      5                7.1    -2.1        6

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       71.90   2005
TOTALS         48.16              50.22   -2.06    50.92
DAILY AVG.      0.13               0.14   -0.01     0.14
DAYS >= .01      121              138.6   -17.6      156
DAYS >= .10       66               85.3   -19.3       92
DAYS >= .50       33               33.4    -0.4       36
DAYS >= 1.00      15               14.1     0.9       13
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   3.77   06/29                        3.19

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL         125.2   2008
TOTALS          65.9               83.8   -17.9     77.0
SINCE 7/1       18.9               21.4    -2.5
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     2
DAYS >= TRACE     57               33.7               66
DAYS >= 1.0       13               19.3    -6.3       23
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH       15   01/19                          20
                       02/20
                       02/19
 24 HR TOTAL    11.7   12/17                         9.0

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   6758               7191    -433     7398
 SINCE 7/1      2455               2667    -212     2673
COOLING TOTAL    548                390     158      433

FREEZE DATES
RECORD
 EARLIEST     09/29/2000
 LATEST       05/11/2010
EARLIEST                        10/28
LATEST                          04/15
..............................................................



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

&&

THE YEAR BEGAN WITH SOME MILD WEATHER AND A RELATIVELY DEEP SNOW
COVER AFTER A WINTER STORM LATE IN 2019 HAD LEFT 10 INCHES ON THE
GROUND TO START THE YEAR. A BIG WARM UP CAME IN MID JANUARY WHEN THE
TEMPERATURE SOARED TO 60 DEGREES ON JANUARY 11. THIS ALONG WITH SOME
RAINFALL CUT THE SNOW DEPTH IN HALF. JUST A FEW DAYS LATER A SERIES
OF STORMS BROUGHT SEVERAL MORE INCHES OF SNOW. THE FIRST BIGGER
STORM BROUGHT NEARLY 10 INCHES ON JANUARY 16 FOLLOWED BY COLD
TEMPERATURES. THE COLDEST WAS ZERO DEGREES ON JANUARY 17. AFTER GRAY
RECORDED SNOWFALL ON 6 OUT OF 7 DAYS THE SNOW DEPTH PEAKED AT 15
INCHES. THE MILD WEATHER RETURNED FOR THE LAST PART OF JANUARY,
THOUGH. MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN FELL ON JANUARY 25 WITH MILD
WEATHER CONTINUING INTO FEBRUARY. ANOTHER STRETCH OF WINTRY WEATHER
CAME IN FEBRUARY. SNOW WAS OBSERVED ON 6 OUT OF 8 DAYS FROM FEBRUARY
6 THROUGH 13 ALONG WITH A FEW ROUNDS OF BRIEFLY COLDER WEATHER. THE
COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS ON FEBRUARY 15 WHEN IT DROPPED TO 6 BELOW
ZERO. THE COLD NEVER LASTED VERY LONG, THOUGH, AS MILD CONDITIONS
QUICKLY RETURNED. BY THE END OF FEBRUARY ANOTHER WARM SYSTEM BROUGHT
MORE THAN 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN ON FEBRUARY 27. EVEN WARMER WEATHER WAS
OBSERVED IN THE COMING WEEKS WITH THE TEMPERATURE PEAKING AT 66
DEGREES ON MARCH 9. THIS ALONG WITH SOME RAINFALL WASHED THE LAST OF
THE WINTER SNOW DEPTH AWAY BY THE MORNING OF MARCH 21. THE WEATHER
TURNED CHILLY AGAIN IN LATE MARCH ALONG WITH A FEW MORE ROUNDS OF
SNOW. THE HEAVIEST WAS ON MARCH 23 AND 24 WHEN MORE THAN 7 INCHES
FELL. THE MILD LATE MARCH TEMPERATURES ENSURED THAT THIS SNOW DIDN`T
STAY ON THE GROUND VERY LONG.

MORE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER WAS OBSERVED IN THE FIRST PART OF
SPRING. A NEW STORM SYSTEM WOULD BRING RAIN OR WINTRY WEATHER JUST
ABOUT EVERY WEEK. NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ON APRIL 2 AND 3. A
WEEK LATER ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM BROUGHT RAIN CHANGING TO A
HEAVY WET SNOW ON APRIL 9. ALTHOUGH ONLY ACCUMULATING TO 6 INCHES,
THIS VERY STICKY SNOW BROUGHT DOWN TREES AND POWER LINES. A FEW DAYS
LATER ANOTHER STORM DROPPED MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN ON APRIL 13.
ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW MILD DAYS, MOST DAYS WERE COOL WITH
SHOWERS AND EVEN SOME SNOWFLAKES CONTINUING LATE INTO THE SPRING. IN
FACT, ON MAY 9 RAIN CHANGED TO SNOW WITH MORE THAN AN INCH MEASURED.
THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME MEASURABLE SNOW HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN MAY
DURING THE SHORT 25-YEAR HISTORY OF OBSERVATIONS AT THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN GRAY.

SUDDENLY IN MID MAY THE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER ENDED AND THE
PRECIPITATION SHUT OFF. THE PERSISTENT TROUGH WHICH BROUGHT THE COOL
AND STORMY WEATHER SHIFTED TO THE EAST. INSTEAD, FREQUENT COOL, DRY
AIR MASSES SPILLED DOWN OUT OF CANADA JUST AS SPRING GREEN UP BEGAN.
THE LAST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL WAS ON MAY 15 WHEN HALF AN INCH WAS
MEASURED. BARELY ANY RAIN FELL AGAIN FOR MORE THAN A MONTH CAUSING
THE RAPID ONSET OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN THE AREA. TEMPERATURES
DURING THIS PERIOD WERE FREQUENTLY WARM DURING THE DAY AND COOL AT
NIGHT DUE TO THE DRY AIR MASSES WHICH DOMINATED THE PERIOD. WHILE
THERE WERE A FEW HOT DAYS IN LATE MAY, THE TEMPERATURE FELL ALL THE
WAY TO 37 DEGREES ON JUNE 1. THE FIRST CONSISTENTLY HOT STRETCH OF
WEATHER CAME IN MID JUNE WHEN THE TEMPERATURE WARMED TO NEAR 90
DEGREES FROM JUNE 18 THROUGH 20. THE WARMEST WAS 92 ON JUNE 20. AS
THE TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY BEGAN TO CLIMB TOWARD THE END OF JUNE,
FINALLY SOME DROUGHT RELIEF ARRIVED. FROM JUNE 28 THROUGH 30 NEARLY
5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL AS A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BROUGHT
FREQUENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. UNTIL THESE DROUGHT RELIEVING
RAINS, GRAY WAS ENDURING ITS DRIEST PERIOD ON RECORD FOR THIS TIME
OF YEAR. SUCH CONSISTENTLY DRY WEATHER WAS UNPRECEDENTED FOR THE
SPRING WHICH IS TYPICALLY THE RAINIEST TIME OF YEAR. THE TABLE BELOW
LISTS THE LEAST PRECIPITATION OBSERVED DURING THIS STRETCH OF TIME.

LEAST PRECIPITATION MAY 16 THROUGH JUN 27 (SINCE 1996)...
RANK  PRECIP  YEAR
1      0.51   2020  <===
2      2.48   2018
3      2.62   1999
4      2.78   1997
5      2.83   2016

ALTHOUGH THE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ENDED, MORE FREQUENT SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS IN JULY KEPT THE DROUGHT FROM WORSENING, AT LEAST FOR
THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH. LATER IN JULY THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY
BECAME MORE COMMON. WHILE THERE WERE NO EXTREMELY HOT PERIODS, THE
HUMID WEATHER OFTEN LED TO WARM NIGHTS AS WELL. THE HOTTEST
TEMPERATURE WAS 91 DEGREES ON JULY 19 AND 20. THE SUMMER HEAT AND
HUMIDITY CONTINUED INTO AUGUST. ONE EXCEPTION WAS ON AUGUST 4 WHEN
TROPICAL STORM ISAIAS MOVED OVER THE REGION. LESS THAN HALF AN INCH
OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED AS THIS MOVED THROUGH, BUT IT WAS ACCOMPANIED
BY SOME STRONGER WIND GUSTS. IT WASN`T UNTIL A COLD FRONT ON AUGUST
15 THAT THE SUMMER HEAT FINALLY ENDED. ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW
MORE HOT DAYS IN LATE SUMMER AND EARLY FALL, THE PERSISTENT SUMMER
HEAT WAS OVER.

ALMOST AN INCH OF RAIN FELL ON AUGUST 29, BUT THIS WOULD BE THE LAST
SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL FOR A WHILE AS DROUGHT CONDITIONS RETURNED FOR
SEPTEMBER. A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS BROUGHT DRY, CONTINENTAL AIR
MASSES INTO THE REGION. THIS OFTEN BROUGHT WARM DAYS AND
OCCASIONALLY COOL NIGHTS. THE COOLEST WAS IN MID SEPTEMBER WHEN THE
TEMPERATURE DROPPED INTO THE 30S FOR 4 STRAIGHT NIGHTS. FINALLY,
AFTER MORE THAN 4 WEEKS OF DRY WEATHER A STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT NEARLY
AN INCH OF RAIN ON SEPTEMBER 30. THIS BEGAN A SHIFT IN THE WEATHER
PATTERN WITH MORE FREQUENT STORMINESS RETURNING. FREQUENT FRONTAL
SYSTEMS BROUGHT A TOPSY TURVY TEMPERATURE PATTERN WITH OCCASIONAL
WARMTH REPLACED BY COLD. THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT STORM BROUGHT NEARLY 2
INCHES OF RAIN ON OCTOBER 13. JUST A FEW DAYS LATER ANOTHER STORM
BROUGHT NEARLY 2 MORE INCHES OF RAIN ON OCTOBER 16 AND 17. MORE
CONSISTENT COLD WEATHER AT THE END OF THE MONTH BROUGHT THE FIRST
SNOWFLAKES JUST BEFORE HALLOWEEN. WHILE THE COOL WEATHER PERSISTED
INTO NOVEMBER, A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BROUGHT ONE OF THE MOST
INTENSE AND LONG LASTING LATE SEASON WARM SPELLS ON RECORD.
BEGINNING ON NOVEMBER 5, THE TEMPERATURE TOPPED 60 DEGREES FOR 8
STRAIGHT DAYS INCLUDING A FEW DAYS IN THE 70S. THE WARMEST WAS 75
DEGREES ON NOVEMBER 10. A COLD FRONT ON NOVEMBER 12 BROUGHT THIS
UNUSUAL LATE SEASON WARMTH TO AN END WITH COLD WEATHER RETURNING. BY
NOVEMBER 18 THE TEMPERATURE DIDN`T EVEN REACH THE FREEZING MARK ALL
DAY.

THE MORE FREQUENT STORMY WEATHER RETURNED IN MID NOVEMBER. THE FIRST
BIGGER RAINFALL WAS ON NOVEMBER 23 WHEN MORE THAN 2 INCHES WAS
MEASURED. ANOTHER STORM DROPPED MORE THAN 3 INCHES ON NOVEMBER 30
INTO DECEMBER 1. THEN ON DECEMBER 5 RAIN CHANGED TO A HEAVY WET
SNOWFALL WITH THE STICKY NATURE OF THE SNOW BRINGING DOWN TREES AND
POWER LINES IN THE AREA. ALTHOUGH ONLY 5 INCHES OF SNOW WAS
MEASURED, NEARLY 2 INCHES OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION WAS
RECORDED.  A LONGER STRETCH OF COLD WEATHER WAS OBSERVED IN MID
DECEMBER WITH THE TEMPERATURE STAYING BELOW FREEZING FOR 7 STRAIGHT
DAYS. DURING THIS STRETCH ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT
NEARLY 12 INCHES OF SNOW ON DECEMBER 17. WARMER WEATHER RETURNED
JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND BY CHRISTMAS MORNING ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT
RAIN STORM HAD ARRIVED. MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAIN FELL ALONG WITH
TEMPERATURES IN THE 50S. WHEN IT WAS ALL OVER ONLY A TRACE OF THE
EARLY SEASON SNOWFALL WAS LEFT ON THE GROUND. THE MILD WEATHER
CONTINUED THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 47.7 DEGREES WHICH WAS 2.0
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE WARMEST YEAR WAS IN 2010 WHEN THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE WAS 48.9 DEGREES.THE COOLEST WAS 45.1 DEGREES IN 1997.
THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR EACH MONTH OF
2020 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY MONTH IN 2020
MONTH      MAXIMUM       MINIMUM      AVERAGE      NOTES
JANUARY    33.7 (+4.3)   18.7 (+6.1)  26.2 (+5.2)
FEBRUARY   35.2 (+1.7)   18.4 (+2.5)  26.8 (+2.1)
MARCH      44.9 (+3.0)   27.5 (+3.5)  36.2 (+3.3)
APRIL      50.1 (-3.5)   33.5 (-1.4)  41.8 (-2.5)
MAY        65.2 (+0.1)   42.9 (-1.8)  54.0 (-0.9)
JUNE       75.6 (+1.6)   55.9 (+1.8)  65.8 (+1.7)
JULY       79.9 (+0.8)   62.9 (+3.2)  71.4 (+2.0)
AUGUST     78.6 (+0.1)   60.3 (+1.6)  69.4 (+0.8)
SEPTEMBER  70.8 (+0.8)   51.4 (+0.7)  61.1 (+0.7)
OCTOBER    56.4 (-1.6)   40.7 (+0.6)  48.5 (-0.6)
NOVEMBER   50.2 (+4.3)   32.5 (+1.5)  41.3 (+2.8)
DECEMBER   36.7 (+1.9)   23.6 (+3.8)  30.2 (+2.9)
ANNUAL     56.6 (+1.9)   38.7 (+1.9)  47.7 (+2.0)

A TOTAL OF 48.16 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH WAS 2.06 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL AT THE END OF JUNE
WHEN 4.89 INCHES OF RAIN FELL FROM JUNE 28 THROUGH 30. THE DRIEST
YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 2001 WHEN ONLY 34.77 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE
FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR
EACH MONTH OF 2020 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL.

MONTHLY PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR 2020
MONTH      PRECIPITATION   SNOWFALL      NOTES
JANUARY    3.27  (-0.26)   17.5  (-3.7)
FEBRUARY   3.57  (+0.26)   13.4  (-3.1)
MARCH      2.39  (-1.78)   8.2   (-11.7)
APRIL      5.61  (+1.23)   6.8   (+2.0)
MAY        2.54  (-1.36)   1.1   (+1.1)  SNOWIEST
JUNE       5.39  (+1.09)   0.0
JULY       5.20  (+0.90)   0.0
AUGUST     2.24  (-1.35)   0.0
SEPTEMBER  1.15  (-3.04)   0.0
OCTOBER    4.86  (-0.28)     T   (-0.1)
NOVEMBER   6.73  (+1.38)   0.1   (-2.9)
DECEMBER   5.21  (+1.15)   18.8  (+0.5)
ANNUAL     48.16 (-2.06)   65.9  (-17.9)

THERE WERE 15 DAYS THAT RECORDED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF
PRECIPITATION, 0.9 DAYS MORE THAN NORMAL. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS
THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2020.

DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2020
DAY           PRECIPITATION
JANUARY 25    1.11
FEBRUARY 27   1.53
APRIL 2       1.41
APRIL 9       1.40
APRIL 13      1.34
MAY 1         1.22
JUNE 29       3.77
JULY 8        1.43
JULY 14       1.51
OCTOBER 13    1.93
OCTOBER 17    1.41
NOVEMBER 23   2.35
NOVEMBER 30   2.30
DECEMBER 5    1.86
DECEMBER 25   1.37

SNOWFALL STATISTICS ARE NORMALLY LISTED BY SEASON RATHER THAN BY
CALENDAR YEAR. HOWEVER, 2020 SAW 65.9 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WHICH WAS
17.9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND THE LEAST ANNUAL SNOWFALL SINCE 2012.
THE HEAVIEST SNOWSTORM WAS ON DECEMBER 17 WHEN 11.7 INCHES WAS
MEASURED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED AT LEAST
6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN 2020.

DAYS WITH AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN 2020
DAYS          SNOWFALL
JANUARY 16    9.7
MARCH 23      7.0
APRIL 9       6.8
DECEMBER 17   11.7

SNOW DEPTH WAS CONTINUOUS THROUGH JANUARY AND PEAKED AT 15 INCHES IN
MID JANUARY. RAIN AND WARM TEMPERATURES ERODED THIS UNTIL ANOTHER
SNOWY PERIOD IN MID FEBRUARY BROUGHT THE DEPTH BACK UP TO 15 INCHES
AGAIN. WARM TEMPERATURES IN MARCH MELTED THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOW
DEPTH BY THE MORNING OF MARCH 21, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW LATE
SEASON SNOWFALLS AFTER THIS POINT. SNOW RETURNED WITH THE FIRST
SIGNIFICANT STORM ON DECEMBER 5. SNOW DEPTH PEAKED AT 11 INCHES
AFTER ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT STORM A FEW WEEKS LATER. HOWEVER, WARM
TEMPERATURES AND HEAVY RAIN ON CHRISTMAS MELTED THIS DOWN TO JUST A
TRACE LEFT ON THE GROUND AFTER CHRISTMAS.

$$

KIMBLE



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