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CXUS51 KGYX 072228 CCA
CLSPWM

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TTAA00 GYX 060202

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
858 PM EST SAT MAR 05 2022

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

...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE WINTER SEASON, FROM
12/1/2021 TO 2/28/2022...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1941 TO 2021 (FOR TEMPERATURES)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2021 (FOR PRECIPITATION)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1882 TO 2021 (FOR SNOWFALL)

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART   LAST YEAR`S
                VALUE   DATE(S)   VALUE   FROM     VALUE DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             71   12/06/2001
                       12/07/1998
 LOW             -39   02/16/1943
HIGHEST           66   02/23         59       7       59  12/01
LOWEST            -7   01/31        -10       3       -1  02/12
AVG. MAXIMUM    35.8               35.2     0.6     35.7
AVG. MINIMUM    17.9               18.4    -0.5     20.7
MEAN            26.8               26.8     0.0     28.2
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32    35               35.3    -0.3       32
DAYS MIN <= 32    81               82.1    -1.1       84
DAYS MIN <= 0      7                6.3     0.7        1

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       20.49   1935
 MINIMUM        4.12   1872
TOTALS         10.46              11.54   -1.08    10.39
DAILY AVG.      0.12               0.13   -0.01     0.11
DAYS >= .01       37               33.7     3.3       30
DAYS >= .10       21               21.2    -0.2       14
DAYS >= .50        5                7.9    -2.9        9
DAYS >= 1.00       2                3.0    -1.0        4
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   1.59   02/04

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL         107.6   1971
TOTALS          41.0               49.8    -8.8     40.8
SINCE 7/1       41.1               52.3   -11.2     40.9
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     2
DAYS >= TRACE     28               20.6     7.4       31
DAYS >= 1.0        8               12.1    -4.1       11
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH       11   01/30
 24 HR TOTAL    13.2   01/29

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   3420               3433     -13     3283
 SINCE 7/1      4613               4810    -197     4550
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0        0
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              8.0
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    41/360    DATE  01/29
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    59/360    DATE  01/29

SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.55

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     68

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     HEAVY RAIN                 4
RAIN                     10     LIGHT RAIN                24
FREEZING RAIN             1     LT FREEZING RAIN           6
HEAVY SNOW                3     SNOW                       8
LIGHT SNOW               28     FOG                       40
FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE     9     HAZE                       4

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

&&

WINTER GOT OFF TO A MILD START WITH TEMPERATURES AVERAGING WELL
ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF DECEMBER THANKS TO SEVERAL
DAYS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES INTO THE 50S AND SEVERAL NIGHTS WHERE
THE LOW TEMPERATURE DID NOT DROP BELOW FREEZING. THIS MILD START TO
WINTER CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO A PERSISTENT RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER
THE SOUTHEAST US THAT OFTEN EXTENDED INTO NEW ENGLAND. THIS RIDGE OF
HIGH PRESSURE OFTEN FORMS OVER THE SOUTHEAST US DURING LA NINA
WINTERS WITH THIS PAST WINTER FEATURING MODERATE LA NINA CONDITIONS
IN THE TROPICAL PACIFIC. THE MILD WEATHER PATTERN TURNED MORE WINTRY
AFTER A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSED THE AREA ON DECEMBER 17TH. ON
DECEMBER 18TH TO 19TH LOW PRESSURE TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND BRINGING THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON WITH
7.4 INCHES OF SNOWFALL. TEMPERATURES THEN STAYED NEAR OR BELOW
NORMAL PRESERVING THE SNOWPACK INTO CHRISTMAS DAY. ANOTHER AREA OF
LOW PRESSURE CROSSED THE AREA CHRISTMAS WEEKEND BRINGING A TOTAL OF
3.6 INCHES OF SNOW BY THE 26TH. TEMPERATURES THEN TRENDED ABOVE
NORMAL THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR INTO THE FIRST COUPLE OF DAYS OF
JANUARY. THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY TEMPERATURES OSCILLATED
BETWEEN BELOW NORMAL AND ABOVE NORMAL AS THE WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS
NORTH AMERICA STARTED TO UNDERGO A TRANSITION. THIS TRANSITION WAS
RELATED TO THE PACIFIC NORTH AMERICAN PATTERN SHIFTING TO ITS
POSITIVE PHASE AFTER BEING IN ITS NEGATIVE PHASE DURING DECEMBER
INTO EARLY JANUARY. THIS SHIFT TO A +PNA LED TO A PERSISTENT RIDGE
OF HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS WESTERN NORTH AMERICA WITH A DEEP TROUGH
OVER THE EASTERN CONUS THROUGH THE END OF JANUARY. THE TROUGH OVER
THE EASTERN CONUS BROUGHT A PERIOD OF PERSISTENT COLD DURING THE
SECOND HALF OF JANUARY ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO AVERAGE BELOW NORMAL
FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY. THIS TROUGH ALSO PRODUCED A POWERFUL OCEAN
STORM THAT BROUGHT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TO PORTLAND JANUARY 29TH.
TOTAL SNOWFALL FROM THIS STORM WAS 13.2 INCHES WITH A PEAK WIND GUST
OF 59 MPH, WHICH WERE BOTH THE GREATEST SNOWFALL AND STRONGEST WINDS
MEASURED FOR THE WINTER SEASON. GOING INTO FEBRUARY THE RIDGE OVER
THE SOUTHEAST US REDEVELOPED AND REMAINED A DOMINANT FEATURE THROUGH
THE END OF WINTER. MILD SOUTHWEST FLOW AROUND THE RIDGE BROUGHT
SEVERAL WARM SPELLS TO THE PORTLAND AREA IN FEBRUARY. THE WARMEST
PERIOD CAME ON FEBRUARY 23RD WHEN THE HIGH REACHED 66 DEGREES, WHICH
WAS THE WARMEST DAY OF THE WINTER SEASON. ANOTHER DOMINANT FEATURE
ON THE NORTH AMERICAN WEATHER MAP DURING FEBRUARY WAS A PERSISTENT
TROUGH OVER CENTRAL CANADA. AS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND WAS POSITIONED
BETWEEN THIS TROUGH AND A RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST US THE STORM
TRACK HAD A TENDENCY TO CUT ACROSS THE AREA WITH SYSTEMS BRINGING A
VARIETY OF PRECIPITATION TYPES IN FEBRUARY. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
PRECIPITATION EVENT OF THE WINTER OCCURRED ON FEBRUARY 3RD TO 4TH
WHEN WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKED ALONG A COLD FRONT THAT SLOWLY
SANK SOUTH THROUGH NEW ENGLAND AND THEN STALLED NEAR THE LATITUDE OF
PORTLAND. THIS SET UP LED TO A PERIOD OF RAIN THAT THEN CHANGED OVER
TO SLEET AND EVENTUALLY ENDED AS SNOW WITH A LIQUID EQUIVALENT STORM
TOTAL OF 2.06 INCHES. SYSTEMS THAT THEN CROSSED THE AREA THROUGH THE
MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY WERE PRIMARILY RAIN PRODUCERS WHICH BROUGHT THE
SNOWPACK DOWN TO ZERO UNTIL A SNOWSTORM BROUGHT 5.8 INCHES ON
FEBRUARY 25TH.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR WINTER WAS 26.8 DEGREES, WHICH IS ALSO
THE NORMAL TEMPERATURE FOR THE WINTER SEASON. THE WARMEST WINTER WAS
IN 2001-02 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 31.3 DEGREES. THE
COLDEST WAS IN 1970-71 WHEN IT WAS 17.9 DEGREES.

A TOTAL OF 10.46 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 1.08 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON FEBRUARY 3RD TO 4TH
WHEN A LIQUID EQUIVALENT OF 2.06 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE DRIEST
WINTER WAS IN 1871-72 WHEN ONLY 4.12 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE
WETTEST WAS IN 1934-35 WITH 20.49 INCHES.

THERE WAS 41.0 INCHES OF SNOWFALL, WHICH WAS 8.8 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL FELL ON JANUARY 29TH WHEN 13.2 INCHES
WAS MEASURED. THE LEAST SNOWY WINTER WAS IN 1936-37 WHEN ONLY 9.5
INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE SNOWIEST WINTER WAS IN 1970-71 WITH 107.6
INCHES.

THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN WINTER 2021/22...
DATE    RECORD                               PREVIOUS
DEC 16  36   - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE       33 IN 1999 AND OTHERS
JAN 29  13.2 - GREATEST SNOWFALL             9.0 IN 1957
FEB  4  1.59 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION        1.42 IN 1911
FEB 12  54   - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE      51 IN 1984
FEB 12  44   - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE   42 IN 1999, 1998
FEB 17  42   - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE       39 IN 1981
FEB 23  66   - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE      61 IN 1990
FEB 23  46   - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE   46 IN 1990 (TIED)
FEB 23  41   - GREATEST TEMPERATURE RANGE    40 IN 1964

$$

SCHROETER