Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
244
CXUS51 KCAR 020238
CLMCAR
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
1038 PM EDT WED MAY 01 2024
...................................
...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2024...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1939 TO 2024
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 86 04/27/1990
LOW -4 04/06/2015
HIGHEST 63 04/13 MM MM 67 04/28
04/27
04/29
LOWEST 15 04/01 MM MM 10 04/03
AVG. MAXIMUM 50.7 47.7 3.0 50.9
AVG. MINIMUM 29.9 29.4 0.5 30.6
MEAN 40.3 38.5 1.8 40.8
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 1.1 -1.1 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 21 20.7 0.3 15
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.1 -0.1 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 6.19 2005
MINIMUM 0.54 1967
TOTALS 1.02 -1.97
DAILY AVG. 0.03 0.10 -0.07 0.04
DAYS >= .01 11 13.1 -2.1 7
DAYS >= .10 4 7.5 -3.5 3
DAYS >= .50 0 2.0 -2.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.2 -0.2 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.34 04/04 TO 04/05 0.51 04/17 TO 04/18
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 36.4 1982
TOTALS 1.4 8.3 -6.9 3.7
SINCE 7/1 88.2 117.4 -29.2 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 7
DAYS >= 1.0 1 2.5 -1.5 2
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 4 04/01 18 04/03
04/04
04/06
24 HR TOTAL MM MM 3.7
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 734 794 -60 719
SINCE 7/1 7370 8498 -1128 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM
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WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 29/070 DATE 04/04
29/140 04/13
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 42/310 DATE 04/25
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.48
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 12
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 9
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 9
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 62
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 0 RAIN 2
LIGHT RAIN 15 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 0 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 1
LIGHT SNOW 6 SLEET 0
FOG 7 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 1
HAZE 1
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
* INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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APRIL 2024 FINISHED WITH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND BELOW
AVERAGE TO WELL BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.
TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM 0.5 TO 2.0 DEGREES (F)
ABOVE THE 30-YEAR 1991-2020 NORMALS. HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH
THAT ANY OF THE LONG TERM CLIMATE SITES HAD A TOP 10 WARMEST
APRIL.
PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM AROUND 33 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN
NORTHEASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY TO AROUND 90 PERCENT OF NORMAL NEAR
GREENVILLE. THE TOTAL RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) FOR CARIBOU WAS 1.02
INCHES. THIS MADE APRIL 2024 THE 6TH DRIEST ON RECORD FOR CARIBOU,
WHERE RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1939. AT HOULTON, 1.56 INCHES OF RAIN
(AND MELTED SNOW) FELL DURING THE MONTH. THIS MADE APRIL 2024 THE
13TH DRIEST ON RECORD FOR HOULTON, WHERE RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1948.
NO OTHER SITES RECORDED A TOP 15 DRIEST OR WETTEST APRIL ON RECORD.
SNOWFALL WAS ABOVE NORMAL FROM THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS SOUTHWARD TO
THE BANGOR REGION AND DOWNEAST. IN BANGOR, 9.0 INCHES OF SNOW FELL
DURING THE MONTH, WHICH WAS 5.3 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. IT WAS ALSO
THE 14TH HIGHEST TOTAL FOR ANY APRIL SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1926.
ALL OF THIS SNOW FELL DURING A LONG-DURATION EVENT ON APRIL 3RD INTO
APRIL 5TH. THE MAXIMUM SNOWFALL WITH THIS STORM OCCURRED IN WESTERN
PORTIONS OF HANCOCK, PENOBSCOT AND PISCATAQUIS COUNTIES WHERE 12 TO
16 INCHES OF SNOW FELL. AMOUNTS DECREASED TO THE NORTH AND EAST,
TAPERING TO AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES IN NORTHEASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY.
AT CARIBOU, JUST 1.4 INCHES OF SNOW FELL DURING APRIL 2024. THIS WAS
6.9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND TIED FOR THE 7TH LEAST SNOWY APRIL ON
RECROD.
AT THE START OF THE MONTH, THE SNOW DEPTH WAS ZERO NEAR BANGOR AND
AT THE COAST. ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AREAS, SNOW DEPTH RANGED
FROM 4 TO 9 INCHES IN LOWER ELEVATIONS, AND 10 TO 18 INCHES AT
HIGHER ELEVATIONS. IN CARIBOU, SNOW DEPTH DECREASED TO A TRACE ON
APRIL 7TH AND REMAINED THERE (OR LOWER) THROUGH THE END OF THE
MONTH. MOST OTHER PLACES IN THE NORTH HAD ZERO SNOW DEPTH BY THE
15TH, WITH SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS NOT REACHING ZERO SNOW
DEPTH UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH.
FOLLOWING THE APRIL 3-5 STORM, THE SNOW DEPTH IN BANGOR
REACHED 9 INCHES ON APRIL 5TH. THIS WAS THE LARGEST SNOW DEPTH OF
THE 2023-2024 SEASON AT BANGOR. SNOW DEPTH AT BANGOR FELL TO ZERO ON
APRIL 9TH AND REMAINED THERE THROUGH THE MONTH.
REMAINING ICE ON THE SAINT JOHN AND ALLAGASH RIVERS WENT OUT BY THE
SECOND WEEK OF APRIL. MOOSEHEAD LAKE REPORTED ICE OUT ON APRIL 20TH.
THIS WAS EARLIER THAN AVERAGE, BUT STILL LATER THAN THE RECORD EARLY
ICE OUT ON APRIL 14, 1945. ICE WENT OUT ON ALL NORTHERN LAKES BY THE
END OF THE MONTH.
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER`S FORECAST FOR MAY 2024 INDICATES THAT
THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.
THERE ARE NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS FOR ABOVE OR BELOW AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION.
AT THE START OF THE MONTH OF MAY, AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE FROM THE MID
50S IN THE NORTH TO AROUND 60 DEGREES NEAR BANGOR. AVERAGE LOWS
RANGE FROM THE MID 30S IN THE NORTH TO NEAR 40 DEGREES AT THE COAST.
BY THE END OF THE MONTH, AVERAGE HIGHS RISE TO THE UPPER 60S FOR
MOST OF THE AREA, AND NEAR 70 DEGREES IN BANGOR.
ON AVERAGE, 3 TO 4 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION IS OBSERVED ACROSS
THE AREA DURING THE MONTH OF MAY. SNOW CAN STILL FALL DURING THE
MONTH OF MAY. HOWEVER, ANY SNOW GENERALLY MELTS QUICKLY AFTER IT
FALLS OWING TO HIGHER SUN ANGLE AND WARMER TEMPERATURES. AT CARIBOU,
THE AVERAGE SNOWFALL FOR MAY IS 0.8 INCHES. MEASURABLE SNOW HAS
OCCURRED IN 23 YEARS, AND AT LEAST A TRACE OF SNOW IN 63 YEARS SINCE
RECORDS BEGAN. IN BANGOR, THERE HAS BEEN MEASURABLE SNOW IN MAY 6
TIMES AND AT LEAST A TRACE IN 23 YEARS. FROST CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME
OF THE MONTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN VALLEYS, BUT BECOMES LESS COMMON BY
MID TO LATE MONTH ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION.
$$
NC/CB/VJN