Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME

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CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
552 AM EDT FRI JUN 02 2023

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

...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SPRING SEASON, FROM
3/1/2023 TO 5/31/2023...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1941 TO 2023 (FOR TEMPERATURES)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2023 (FOR PRECIPITATION)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1882 TO 2023 (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           89   05/28         85       4       84  05/14
LOWEST            18   03/01          6      12        1  03/01
AVG. MAXIMUM    54.4               53.5     0.9     54.7
AVG. MINIMUM    36.2               35.6     0.6     36.2
MEAN            45.3               44.5     0.8     45.4
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.4    -0.4        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     0                4.2    -4.2        3
DAYS MIN <= 32    36               37.2    -1.2       28
DAYS MIN <= 0      0                0.4    -0.4        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       22.55   1983
 MINIMUM        4.23   1965
TOTALS         12.27              12.16    0.11     9.18
DAILY AVG.      0.13               0.13   -0.00     0.10
DAYS >= .01       29               34.9    -5.9       31
DAYS >= .10       19               21.1    -2.1       20
DAYS >= .50        8                8.2    -0.2        5
DAYS >= 1.00       4                2.7     1.3        1
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   3.06   04/30 TO 05/01

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          61.5   1906
TOTALS          14.0               16.4    -2.4      3.0
SINCE 7/1       56.5               68.7   -12.2     44.1
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     1
DAYS >= TRACE     12                6.4     5.6        7
DAYS >= 1.0        2                3.5    -1.5        0
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH       15   03/05
 24 HR TOTAL     8.5   03/04

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   1794               1894    -100     1787
 SINCE 7/1      6131               6705    -574     6400
COOLING TOTAL      6                 11      -5       11
 SINCE 1/1         6                 11      -5       11
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.0
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    36/360    DATE  03/14
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    50/110    DATE  05/01

SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.51

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     65

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     HEAVY RAIN                 4
RAIN                     11     LIGHT RAIN                29
FREEZING RAIN             0     LT FREEZING RAIN           0
HEAVY SNOW                1     SNOW                       3
LIGHT SNOW               12     FOG                       36
FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE     5     HAZE                       4

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

&&

THE SNOWY PATTERN THAT DEVELOPED TOWARDS THE END OF WINTER CONTINUED
INTO THE THE FIRST WEEK OF SPRING IN THE PORTLAND AREA. AS ONE
SYSTEM EXITED ON MARCH 1ST, ANOTHER SYSTEM CROSSED ON MARCH 2ND
BRINGING LIGHT SNOW. A MORE SIGNIFICANT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACKED
ALONG THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COASTLINE MARCH 4TH THAT BROUGHT 8.5
INCHES OF SNOW AND WOULD BE THE GREATEST SNOWFALL OF THE SPRING
SEASON. QUIET WEATHER FOLLOWED UNTIL A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
IMPACTED NEW ENGLAND MARCH 13TH INTO THE MORNING OF MARCH 15TH. THIS
SYSTEM BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO INTERIOR NEW ENGLAND WHILE IN
THE PORTLAND AREA TEMPERATURES WERE TOO WARM FOR ACCUMULATING
SNOWFALL. RELATIVELY QUIET WEATHER FOLLOWED WITH THE LAST OF THE
WINTER SNOWPACK MELTING OUT BY THE MORNING OF MARCH 21ST. RELATIVELY
QUIET WEATHER CONTINUED THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF APRIL WITH A BRIEF
WARM SPELL AROUND THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH. THE PORTLAND AREA
ECLIPSED THE 70 DEGREE MARK FOR THE FIRST TIME OF THE SEASON ON THE
14TH WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE REACHED 79 DEGREES. THEREAFTER, THE
NAO TOOK A DIVE INTO NEGATIVE TERRITORY AS STRONG AND PERSISTENT
OMEGA BLOCK FORMED OVER EASTERN NORTH AMERICA AND THE NORTH
ATLANTIC. THIS BLOCKING PATTERN PERSISTED INTO THE FIRST WEEK OF MAY
THAT LEAD TO MULTIPLE RAIN EVENTS, TEMPERATURES RUNNING BELOW
NORMAL, AND WHEN IT WASN`T RAINING IT WAS OFTEN CLOUDY WITH DRIZZLE.
THERE WERE ALSO DAYS WITH VERY LITTLE VARIATION BETWEEN THE HIGH AND
LOW TEMPERATURE WITH THE ALL TIME RECORD FOR LOWEST TEMPERATURE
SPREAD OF 1 DEGREE OCCURRED ON APRIL 24TH WHEN THE HIGH WAS 44
DEGREES AND THE LOW WAS 43 DEGREES. ALSO DURING THIS PATTERN A
SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENT OCCURRED ON APRIL 30TH INTO MAY 1ST WHEN A
STORM TOTAL OF 3.06 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN PORTLAND. ACROSS AREAS
NORTH AND EAST OF PORTLAND OF 5 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN FELL RESULTING
IN SIGNIFICANT FLOODING. THE OMEGA BLOCK THAT PLAGUED THE NORTHEAST
FOR THE BETTER PART OF THREE WEEKS BROKE DOWN BY MAY 6TH. DRY
WEATHER FOLLOWED THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH AND WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF A FEW COOL DAYS AND SEASONABLY COLD NIGHTS,
TEMPERATURES TRENDED ABOVE NORMAL. ONE OF THESE COLD NIGHTS OCCURRED
ON MAY 17TH INTO THE MORNING OF THE 18TH WHEN THE LAST FREEZE OF THE
SEASON OCCURRED WHEN THE LOW TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 30 DEGREES.
ANOTHER HEAVY RAIN EVENT OCCURRED MAY 20TH INTO THE 21ST WHEN A
STORM TOTAL OF 2.33 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE
THEN DOMINATED THE WEATHER PATTERN THE LAST WEEK OF MAY RESULTED IN
FAIR WEATHER WITH SOME VERY WARM DAYS INTERMIXED WITH COOLER DAYS
THANKS TO AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE SPRING SEASON WAS 45.3 DEGREES,
WHICH WAS 0.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIED FOR THE EIGHTH WARMEST
SPRING ON RECORD. THE WARMEST SPRING ON RECORD 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 ON RECORD AT
PORTLAND.

WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN SPRING (SINCE 1941)...
RANK  TEMP  YEAR
1     48.8  2010
2     48.2  2012
3     47.0  1991
4     46.4  1998
5     45.5  2021
6     45.4  2022
      45.4  1981
8     45.3  2023  <===
      45.3  2020
10    45.2  1942

THE LAST FREEZE OF THE SPRING SEASON OCCURRED ON MAY 18TH WHEN THE
LOW TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 30 DEGREES. THIS WAS OVER THREE WEEKS
LATER THAN THE NORMAL LAST FREEZE OF APRIL 26TH.

A TOTAL OF 12.27 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 0.11 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON APRIL 30TH INTO MAY
1ST WHEN A TOTAL OF 3.06 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE WETTEST SPRING ON
RECORD WAS IN 1983 WHEN A TOTAL OF 22.55 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION
FELL. THE DIREST WAS 4.23 INCHES IN 1965.

THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 14.0 INCHES OF SNOWFALL, WHICH WAS 2.4 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL OCCURRED ON MARCH 4TH WHEN THE
PORTLAND AREA RECEIVED 8.5 INCHES. THE LEAST SNOWIEST SPRING WAS IN
1921 AND 1910 WHEN ONLY A TRACE OF SNOWFALL WAS RECORDED. THE
SNOWIEST WAS 61.5 INCHES IN 1906.

THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN SPRING 20232...
DATE    RECORD                                PREVIOUS
APR 14    79   - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE     77 IN 1941
APR 14    47   - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE      46 IN 2002 AND 1949
APR 24     1   - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE    3 IN 1966 AND 1964
APR 25     2   - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE    3 IN 1955
APR 30  2.50   - GREATEST PRECIPITATION       1.33 IN 1915
MAY  3     4   - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE    4 IN 1998 AND OTHERS
MAY 18    30   - COLDEST LOW TEMPERATURE      31 IN 1981 AND 1959

$$

DS


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