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000
CXUS51 KGYX 050959
CLSPWM

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TTAA00 GYX 031657

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
0500 AM EST SUN MAR 05 2023

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

...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE WINTER SEASON, FROM
12/1/2022 TO 2/28/2023...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1941 TO 2022 (FOR TEMPERATURES)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2022 (FOR PRECIPITATION)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1882 TO 2022 (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           57   02/16         59      -2       66  02/23
LOWEST           -14   02/04        -10      -4       -7  01/31
AVG. MAXIMUM    38.1               35.2     2.9     35.8
AVG. MINIMUM    22.2               18.4     3.8     17.9
MEAN            30.2               26.8     3.4     26.8
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32    24               35.3   -11.3       35
DAYS MIN <= 32    81               82.1    -1.1       81
DAYS MIN <= 0      3                6.3    -3.3        7

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       20.49   1935
 MINIMUM        4.12   1872
TOTALS         13.44              11.54    1.90    10.46
DAILY AVG.      0.15               0.13    0.02     0.12
DAYS >= .01       41               33.7     7.3       37
DAYS >= .10       22               21.2     0.8       21
DAYS >= .50       10                7.9     2.1        5
DAYS >= 1.00       6                3.0     3.0        2
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   2.60   01/25 TO 01/26

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL         107.6   1971
TOTALS          42.5               49.8    -7.3     41.0
SINCE 7/1       42.5               52.3    -9.8     41.1
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     3
DAYS >= TRACE     38               20.6    17.4       28
DAYS >= 1.0        9               12.1    -3.1        8
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH       14   01/24
 24 HR TOTAL    13.8

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   3101               3433    -332     3420
 SINCE 7/1      4337               4810    -473     4613
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0        0
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              8.1
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    41/130    DATE  12/23
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    65/150    DATE  12/23

SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER        0.57

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     70

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     HEAVY RAIN                 2
RAIN                      8     LIGHT RAIN                28
FREEZING RAIN             0     LT FREEZING RAIN           4
HEAVY SNOW                2     SNOW                       8
LIGHT SNOW               37     FOG                       46
FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE     5     HAZE                      10

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

&&

THE WINTER OF 2022-2023 WILL GO DOWN AS ONE OF WARMEST WINTERS ON
RECORD IN THE PORTLAND AREA. DESPITE SOME SIZABLE SNOW EVENTS, MILD
TEMPERATURES INHIBITED A DEEP AND PERSISTENT SNOWPACK. LA NINA
CONDITIONS WERE PRESENT FOR THE THIRD WINTER IN ROW WITH CONDITIONS
TRANSITIONING TOWARDS ENSO NEUTRAL TOWARDS THE END OF FEBRUARY. THIS
LA NINA ALONG WITH PERSISTENT TROPICAL CONVECTION OVER INDONESIA LED
TO A PATTERN DOMINATED BY A TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN US AS WELL AS AN
ACTIVE PACIFIC STORM TRACK AIMED AT CALIFORNIA. THE DOMINATE TROUGH
IN THE WEST LED TO A PERSISTENT AND STRONG SOUTHEAST RIDGE THAT
OFTEN PUSHED NORTH INTO NEW ENGLAND. THE ACTIVE STORM TRACK INTO
CALIFORNIA ACTED TO FLOOD THE CONUS WITH MILD PACIFIC AIR AND THE
STRONG SOUTHEAST RIDGE ACTED PUSH MILD AIR NORTHWARDS INTO NEW
ENGLAND.

A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSED NEW ENGLAND TO START THE WINTER SEASON
FOLLOWED BY BRIEF HIGH PRESSURE. A RELATIVELY ACTIVE PATTERN
FOLLOWED AND LASTED THROUGH THE SOLSTICE. LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS
DURING THIS PERIOD HAD A TENDENCY TO TRACK TO THE WEST OF THE AREA
LEADING TO MOSTLY RAIN EVENTS FOLLOWED BY COLD AIR INTRUSIONS BEHIND
THE SYSTEMS. ONE SYSTEM MANAGED TO HAVE A SECONDARY LOW FORM IN THE
GULF OF MAINE ON THE 16TH THAT ALLOWED FOR JUST ENOUGH COLD AIR FOR
THE PORTLAND AREA TO SEE THEIR FIRST APPRECIABLE SNOWFALL WHEN 4.1
INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW FELL. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SYSTEM TO IMPACT
THE AREA IN DECEMBER CAME ON THE 23RD WHEN A RAPIDLY DEEPENING MID
LATITUDE CYCLONE TRACKED ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES INTO QUEBEC. THIS
SYSTEM BROUGHT HEAVY RAIN, POWERFUL ONSHORE WINDS GUSTING TO 65 MPH,
AND SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING AS THE PORTLAND TIDE GAGE REACHED
ITS 4TH HIGHEST LEVEL AT 13.72 FEET. A SHOT OF COLD AIR CAME BEHIND
THIS SYSTEM FOR CHRISTMAS, ALTHOUGH THIS COLD WAS SHORT LIVED AS
TEMPERATURES CLIMBED WELL ABOVE NORMAL TO END DECEMBER AND LASTED
THROUGH THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF JANUARY. DURING THIS STRETCH OF
ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES THERE WERE A COUPLE OF LIGHT SNOW EVENTS
AS WELL AS SOME MIXED PRECIPITATION AND RAIN EVENTS. THUS, THE
PORTLAND AREA STRUGGLED TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN MUCH IN THE WAY OF A
SNOWPACK. THERE WAS A PATTERN CHANGE GOING INTO THE THIRD WEEK OF
JANUARY WHEN A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE PUSHED INTO THE WEST COAST
THAT SHIFTED A TROUGH FURTHER EAST INTO THE CENTRAL CONUS THAT
SUPPRESSED THE DOMINANT SOUTHEAST RIDGE. THIS PATTERN CHANGE LEAD TO
A STORM TRACK DIRECTED TOWARDS NEW ENGLAND WITH LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS
PASSING TO THE SOUTH OF PORTLAND PUTTING THE AREA ON THE COLD AND
SNOWY SIDE OF THE SYSTEMS. ONE SYSTEM BROUGHT 10 INCHES OF SNOW ON
JANUARY 19TH INTO THE 20TH FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER STORM ON THE 22ND AND
23RD THAT DROPPED THE GREATEST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON WHEN 9.1
INCHES. THESE TWO STORMS BUILT THE SNOWPACK TO ITS GREATEST DEPTH OF
THE WINTER TO 14 INCHES. A HEAVY RAIN EVENT QUICKLY FOLLOWED ON THE
25TH INTO THE 26TH MELTING A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF THE FRESH
SNOWPACK. TEMPERATURES THEN TRENDED ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE END OF
JANUARY, ALTHOUGH THIS WAS INTERRUPTED BY A SIGNIFICANT BUT SHORT
LIVED ARCTIC AIR OUTBREAK ON FEBRUARY 3RD AND 4TH. THIS ARCTIC
AIRMASS BROUGHT LOWS INTO THE MINUS TEENS AND WITH GUSTY WINDS THE
WIND CHILL DROPPED TO 45 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ON FEBRUARY 3RD.
TEMPERATURES QUICKLY RETURNED TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL AND REMAINED
THERE THROUGH THE BALANCE OF FEBRUARY WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF SNOW
BRINGING THE SNOWPACK DOWN TO A TRACE BY FEBRUARY 20TH. A PATTERN
CHANGE CAME AFOOT DURING THE FINAL WEEK OF WINTER AS HIGH LATITUDE
BLOCKING DEVELOPED OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC AND THEN RETROGRADED
WESTWARD INTO GREENLAND AS THE NAO DIPPED INTO NEGATIVE TERRITORY.
THE ACTIVE STORM TRACK CONTINUED INTO THE WEST COAST, ALTHOUGH THE
HIGH LATITUDE BLOCKING HELP TO SUPPRESS THE STORM TRACK SOUTHWARD
BRING SOME LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW EVENTS AS WELL AS BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES TO CLOSE OUT THE WINTER SEASON. BEFORE THIS LAST MINUTE
RETURN TO WINTER WEATHER, THE PORTLAND AREA WAS IN THE RUNNING TO
EXPERIENCE THE WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD. HOWEVER, THE BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES WERE LOW ENOUGH FOR THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE TO DECREASE
BELOW THE WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD VALUE.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE WINTER SEASON WAS 30.3, WHICH WAS
3.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD WAS THE 2001-
02 WINTER WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 31.3 DEGREES. THE COLDEST
WAS 17.9 DEGREES IN 1970-71. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST
WINTERS ON RECORD AT PORTLAND.

WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN WINTER (SINCE 1941)...
RANK  TEMP  SEASON
1     31.3  2001-02
2     31.2  2015-16
3     30.2  2022-23
      30.2  2011-12
5     30.1  2019-20
6     29.3  1997-98
7     29.0  1990-91
8     28.9  2016-17
9     28.9  1996-97
10    28.7  1952-53


A TOTAL OF 13.44 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 2.04 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON JANUARY 25TH INTO THE
26TH WHEN SNOW CHANGED TO A WINTRY MIX AND THEN RAIN FOR A TOTAL OF
2.60 INCHES. THE WETTEST WINTER ON RECORD WAS IN 1934-35 WHEN 20.49
INCHES FELL. THE DRIEST WAS 4.12 INCHES IN 1871-72.

A TOTAL OF 42.5 INCHES OF SNOW FELL, WHICH WAS 7.3 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. THE LEAST SNOWIEST WINTER ON RECORD WAS IN 1937 WHEN ONLY
9.5 INCHES OF SNOW WAS MEASURED. THE SNOWIEST WAS 107.6 INCHES IN
1971.

$$