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CLSPWM

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CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
159 PM EDT THU JUN 02 2022

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

...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SPRING SEASON, FROM
3/1/2022 TO 5/31/2022...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
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             94   05/31/1987
 LOW             -21   03/04/1950
HIGHEST           84   05/14         85      -1       88  05/26
LOWEST             1   03/01          6      -5        7  03/02
AVG. MAXIMUM    54.7               53.5     1.2     55.3
AVG. MINIMUM    36.2               35.6     0.6     35.7
MEAN            45.4               44.5     0.9     45.5
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.4    -0.4        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     3                4.2    -1.2        3
DAYS MIN <= 32    28               37.2    -9.2       28
DAYS MIN <= 0      0                0.4    -0.4        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       22.55   1983
 MINIMUM        4.23   1965
TOTALS          9.18              12.16   -2.98     8.50
DAILY AVG.      0.10               0.13   -0.03     0.09
DAYS >= .01       31               34.9    -3.9       28
DAYS >= .10       20               21.1    -1.1       15
DAYS >= .50        5                8.2    -3.2        6
DAYS >= 1.00       1                2.7    -1.7        2
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   2.11   04/08

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          61.5   1906
TOTALS           3.0               16.4   -13.4      0.4
SINCE 7/1       44.1               68.7   -24.6     41.3
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     0
DAYS >= TRACE      7                6.4     0.6        9
DAYS >= 1.0        0                3.5    -3.5        0
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH        5   03/03
 24 HR TOTAL     0.9   03/09

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   1787               1894    -107     1788
 SINCE 7/1      6400               6705    -305     6338
COOLING TOTAL     11                 11       0       16
 SINCE 1/1        11                 11       0       16
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              8.5
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    38/310    DATE  03/21
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    55/300    DATE  03/08

SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER        0.55

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     67

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              2     HEAVY RAIN                 5
RAIN                     18     LIGHT RAIN                35
FREEZING RAIN             0     LT FREEZING RAIN           0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                6     FOG                       38
FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE    12     HAZE                       2

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

&&

SPRING STARTED OFF COOLER THAN NORMAL AFTER A STRONG COLD FRONT
CROSSED THE REGION WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW EVENTS THROUGH THE FIRST FEW
DAYS OF MARCH. THE COOL WEATHER QUICKLY TURNED MILD BY THE END OF
THE FIRST WEEK OF MARCH WITH THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOWPACK MELTING
BY THE MORNING OF MARCH 8TH. THERE WERE A COUPLE MORE LIGHT SNOW
EVENTS THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF MARCH, ALTHOUGH SNOWFALL NEVER AMOUNTED
TO MORE THAN ONE INCH. MILD WEATHER CONTINUED TO DOMINATE THROUGH
THE END OF MARCH EXCEPT FOR A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSING NEW ENGLAND
LATE ON THE 27TH. THIS COLD FRONT BROUGHT SHOT OF COLD AIR ON THE
28TH WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ONLY REACHED 31 DEGREES AND WAS THE
LAST TIME A HIGH TEMPERATURE DID NOT GET ABOVE FREEZING FOR THE
SEASON. TEMPERATURES SLOWLY REBOUNDED THROUGH THE END OF MARCH AND
STAYED CLOSE TO NORMAL THROUGHOUT MUCH OF APRIL. DURING APRIL THERE
WAS AN ACTIVE PACIFIC JET STREAM WITH SEVERAL SYSTEMS CROSSING THE
CONUS BRINGING BOUTS OF RAIN TO PORTLAND. ALSO DURING THE MONTH OF
APRIL THE NAO STAYED PREDOMINANTLY NEGATIVE. THE COMPETING
INFLUENCES OF MILD PACIFIC AIR FLOODING THE CONUS WHILE BLOCKING
OVER THE NORTH ATLANTIC ASSOCIATED WITH THE -NAO HELPED TO KEEP
TEMPERATURES STEADY WITHOUT ANY WARMS SPELLS OR COLD SNAPS FOR MUCH
OF APRIL INTO EARLY MAY. THE RELATIVELY WET PATTERN IN APRIL GAVE
WAY TO A DRY AND WARM PATTERN AFTER THE FIRST FEW DAYS OF MAY. THE
PORTLAND AREA WENT 10 DAYS WITHOUT MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION FROM MAY
5TH TO MAY 14TH WHILE TEMPERATURES CLIMBED WELL ABOVE NORMAL PEAKING
ON THE 14TH WHEN THE HIGH REACHED 84 DEGREES. THIS WARM AND DRY
PATTERN WAS THE RESULT OF AN ANOMALOUS RIDGE THAT DEVELOPED OVER NEW
ENGLAND. THIS RIDGE BROKE DOWN A LITTLE DURING THE THIRD WEEK OF MAY
WITH A FEW COLD FRONTS CROSSING THE REGION BRINGING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS AND KNOCKED TEMPERATURES DOWN CLOSER TO NORMAL. THE
RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE REDEVELOPED DURING THE LAST WEEK OF MAY
BRINGING WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS TO CLOSE OUT THE SPRING SEASON.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR SPRING WAS 45.4 DEGREES, WHICH WAS 0.9
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND TIED FOR THE 6TH WARMEST SPRING ON RECORD.
THE WARMEST SPRING ON RECORD WAS 48.8 DEGREES IN 2010. 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  2020
9     45.2  1942
10    45.1  2016
      45.1  1945

THE LAST FREEZE OF THE SPRING OCCURRED ON MAY 9TH WHEN THE LOW
TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 31 DEGREES. THIS WAS ALMOST TWO WEEKS LATER
THAN THE NORMAL LAST FREEZE OF APRIL 26TH.

A TOTAL OF 9.18 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 2.98 INCHES
BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON APRIL 8TH WHEN A
LIQUID EQUIVALENT OF 2.11 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE DRIEST SPRING WAS
IN 1965 WHEN ONLY 4.23 INCHES WAS MEASURED. THE WETTEST WAS IN 1983
WITH 22.55 INCHES.

THERE WAS 3.0 INCHES OF SNOWFALL, WHICH WAS 13.4 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL FELL ON MARCH 9TH WHEN 0.9 INCHES WAS
MEASURED. THE LEAST SNOWIEST SPRING WAS IN 1921 AND 1910 WITH ONLY A
TRACE OF SNOWFALL. THE SNOWIEST WAS 61.5 INCHES IN 1906.

THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN SPRING 2022...
DATE    RECORD                               PREVIOUS
MAR 6   48    - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE  46 IN 2004 AND 1974
MAR 7   37    - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE      37 IN 2009 AND OTHERS(TIED)
APR 8   2.11  - GREATEST PRECIPITATION       1.09 IN 1899
APR 14  4     - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE   4 IN 1952 (TIED)
MAY 14  84    - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE     81 IN 1961
MAY 14  58    - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE      56 IN 1979
MAY 14  71    - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE  67 IN 1961
MAY 17  54    - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE      54 IN 1977 (TIED)

$$

DS/HAT