Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
000 CXUS51 KCAR 060638 CLACAR CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 136 AM EST WED JAN 06 2021 ................................... ...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2020... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1981 TO 2010 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1939 TO 2021 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 96 05/22/1977 06/29/1944 LOW -41 02/01/1955 HIGHEST 96* 06/19 MM MM 68 11/01 LOWEST -24 02/15 MM MM -2 12/02 AVG. MAXIMUM 51.2 49.4 1.8 39.6 AVG. MINIMUM 31.3 30.3 1.0 23.7 MEAN 41.2 39.9 1.3 31.7 DAYS MAX >= 90 9 1.1 7.9 MM DAYS MAX <= 32 44 89.5 -45.5 MM DAYS MIN <= 32 103 177.7 -74.7 MM DAYS MIN <= 0 12 38.8 -26.8 MM PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 54.21 2005 MINIMUM 10.11 2002 TOTALS 34.43 38.49 -4.06 10.46 DAILY AVG. 0.10 0.11 -0.01 0.12 DAYS >= .01 105 159.8 -54.8 MM DAYS >= .10 57 87.4 -30.4 MM DAYS >= .50 17 24.0 -7.0 MM DAYS >= 1.00 3 5.7 -2.7 MM GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 2.45 MM 1.70 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 181.1 1954 TOTALS 145.4 108.7 36.7 40.9 SINCE 7/1 34.4 35.1 -0.7 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 MM DAYS >= 1.0 9 27.5 -18.5 MM GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 11 12/08 MM 12/31 12/13 12/15 24 HR TOTAL 6.6 MM DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 8317 9354 -1037 3043 SINCE 7/1 2780 3594 -814 MM COOLING TOTAL 455 180 275 0 SINCE 1/1 455 180 275 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.3 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 30/330 DATE 10/08 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 45/010 DATE 12/06 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.53 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 25 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 26 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 41 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 67 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 15 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 23 RAIN 46 LIGHT RAIN 104 FREEZING RAIN 3 LT FREEZING RAIN 7 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 9 SNOW 22 LIGHT SNOW 96 SLEET 0 FOG 141 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 21 HAZE 37 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. * INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ...2020 YEARLY CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE... IN CARIBOU, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN 2020 WAS 42.6 DEGREES (F) WHICH TIED WITH 2012 AS THE 2ND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. IT DID FALL WELL SHY OF THE ALL-TIME WARMEST YEAR IN 2010 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 44.4 DEGREES (F). SEVEN OF THE TOP 10 WARMEST YEARS HAVE NOW BEEN OBSERVED SINCE 2000. A TOTAL OF 35.58 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 2.91 INCHES BELOW THE 30-YEAR AVERAGE, AND MADE IT THE DRIEST YEAR SINCE 2004. A TOTAL OF 145.4 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 34.7 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1939. IN BANGOR, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN 2020 WAS 46.8 DEGREES (F) WHICH MADE IT THE 3RD WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. SIX OF THE TOP 10 WARMEST YEARS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED SINCE 2000. A TOTAL OF 37.1 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 4.83 INCHES BELOW THE 30-YEAR AVERAGE, AND THE DRIEST YEAR SINCE 2016. A TOTAL OF 44.3 OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 24.0 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE. WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1925. IN HOULTON, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN 2020 WAS 42.7 DEGREES (F) WHICH TIED WITH 1953, 1973, AND 2012 AS THE 4TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. FIVE OF THE TOP 10 WARMEST YEARS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED SINCE 2000. A TOTAL OF 30.94 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 9.04 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE. IT WAS THE 6TH DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD, AND THE DRIEST YEAR SINCE 2001. WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1948. IN MILLINOCKET, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN 2020 WAS 44.9 DEGREES (F), WHICH MADE IT THE 4TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. A TOTAL OF 39.31 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 3.37 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE, AND THE DRIEST YEAR SINCE 2016. WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1903. THE BIG STORY IN 2020 WAS THAT IT WAS A VERY WARM YEAR WITH A DROUGHT THAT BEGAN IN LATE JUNE, PEAKED OUT IN EARLY FALL WHEN SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT CONDITIONS WERE OBSERVED ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA, EXCEPT IN PARTS OF THE DOWNEAST REGION WHERE MODERATE DROUGHT WAS OBSERVED. WET CONDITIONS DURING THE MID TO LATE FALL AND EARLY WINTER WIPED OUT ALL OF THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS BY THE END OF THE YEAR. THE SEVERE WEATHER SEASON WAS SLOW WITH NO MAJOR OUTBREAKS OF SEVERE WEATHER DURING THE SPRING OR SUMMER. THE FIRE WEATHER SEASON WAS ACTIVE WITH THE MOST FIRES IN OVER A DECADE. MONTHLY HIGHLIGHTS: JANUARY 2020 WAS A MILD MONTH WITH A PRONOUNCED LACK OF ARCTIC AIR. ONLY SEVEN OUT OF 31 DAYS HAD BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IN CARIBOU WITH ONLY 5 DAYS WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ALL MONTH IN BANGOR. PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL WAS ABOVE AVERAGE FROM AROUND MARS HILLS NORTH, AND BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION. FEBRUARY WAS ANOTHER MONTH WITH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE OF THE WINTER WAS OBSERVED ON THE MORNING OF THE 15TH WITH A LOW OF 36 BELOW ZERO 1 MILE NORTH OF MASARDIS. PRECIPITATION INCLUDING SNOWFALL WAS ABOVE AVERAGE FROM PRESQUE ISLE AND CLAYTON LAKE NORTH, AND BELOW AVERAGE TO THE SOUTH. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM OCCURRED ON THE 6TH INTO THE 7TH WHEN OVER 20 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED IN SOME SPOTS ACROSS NORTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY. MARCH FEATURED ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION. PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA, BUT CLOSE TO AVERAGE IN THE FAR NORTH. THERE WERE BIG DIFFERENCES IN SNOW DEPTH FROM NORTH TO SOUTH. IN BANGOR, THERE WAS ONLY AN AVERAGE SNOW DEPTH OF 0.3" FOR THE MONTH, WHILE IN CARIBOU THERE WAS AN AVERAGE OF 27.4 INCHES. APRIL WAS THE FIRST MONTH OF 2020 TO HAVE BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE, WITH THE LARGEST NEGATIVE DEPARTURES OBSERVED DURING THE 2ND HALF OF THE MONTH. PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE AVERAGE DOWNEAST, AND CLOSE TO AVERAGE IN THE NORTH. IT WAS A SNOWY MONTH IN THE NORTH WITH 21.9 INCHES OF SNOW IN CARIBOU, WHICH MADE IT THE 5TH SNOWIEST APRIL ON RECORD. THE BIG EVENT OF THE MONTH WAS A STORM ON THE 9TH INTO THE 10TH THAT PRODUCED WIDESPREAD SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF A FOOT TO THE NORTH OF BANGOR. BY THE END OF MONTH, THE SNOW HAD MELTED OUT IN ALL AREA EXCEPT IN THE FAR NORTH WHERE THERE WAS STILL A FOOT OR MORE OF SNOW IN THE DENSELY WOODED AREAS OF THE NORTH WOODS. MAY WAS REMARKABLE FOR THE EXTREMES THAT WERE OBSERVED. THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WAS VERY COLD, AND THE LAST 10 DAYS OF THE MONTH WERE UNUSUALLY WARM. A MAJOR LATE SEASON WINTER STORM ON THE 9TH PRODUCED FROM 5 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW FROM DANFORTH TO WESTFIELD, WITH TEMPERATURES THAT FELL INTO THE UPPER 20S IN THE AFTERNOON WITH FREEZING RAIN IN THE NORTH, WHICH WAS HIGHLY UNUSUAL FOR SO LATE IN THE SEASON. WARM/DRY CONDITONS LED TO THE START OF AN ACTIVE FIRE SEASON BY LATE IN THE MONTH AND RECORD WARMTH ON MAY 26TH-29TH. JUNE BEGAN ON A COOL NOTE, BUT TRANSITIONED TO A HOT MONTH AND ENDED WITH WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, AND WAS THE WARMEST JUNE ON RECORD IN CARIBOU. THE HIGH OF 96 DEGREES (F) ON THE 19TH TIED THE ALL-TIME WARMEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD IN CARIBOU FOR THE 3RD TIME SINCE 1939. A FEW NON-CLIMATE SITES DID REACH 100 DEGREES ON THE 20TH (ETNA, MATTAWAMKEAG, AND SHIN POND), WHICH WAS THE FIRST TIME SINCE JUNE 1988. IT WAS A VERY DRY MONTH WITH ONLY 25 TO 60 PERCENT OF THE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. IN CARIBOU IT TIED WITH 1983 FOR THE DRIEST JUNE ON RECORD WITH ONLY 88 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN. JULY WAS ANOTHER WARM AND VERY DRY MONTH. IT WAS THE 2ND WARMEST JULY AS WELL AS THE 2ND WARMEST MONTH OF ALL-TIME IN CARIBOU BEHIND ONLY JULY 2018. DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXPANDED AND BECAME WORSE ACROSS THE REGION WITH MODERATE DROUGHT. SEVERE DROUGHT WAS OBSERVED ACROSS THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY. THE DROUGHT BEGAN TO IMPACT AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS WITH REDUCED GRAIN AND HAY CROPS AND AN INCREASED NEED FOR IRRIGATION. THE MONTH BEGAN VERY DRY WITH MORE FREQUENT SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY THE 2ND HALF OF THE MONTH, BUT WELL BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WAS OBSERVED IN THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY AS WELL AS PARTS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY. AUGUST WAS ANOTHER WARM AND DRY MONTH. THE BIG STORY WAS THE DRY WEATHER WITH ONLY 40 TO 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR MOST OF THE REGION. THERE WERE JUST A FEW SPOTS IN THE WESTERN SAINT JOHN VALLEY, BANGOR REGION, AND COASTAL WASHINGTON COUNTY WHERE PRECIPITATION WAS NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE. DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO EXPAND WITH SEVERE DROUGHT IMPACTING NEARLY ALL OF AROOSTOOK COUNTY. FOR THE METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER (JUNE THROUGH AUGUST) IT WAS THE WARMEST AND 2ND DRIEST ON RECORD IN CARIBOU. IN HOULTON, IT WAS THE 5TH WARMEST AND ALL-TIME DRIEST SUMMER ON RECORD. MILLINOCKET OBSERVED THEIR 6TH WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD, AND IN BANGOR IT WAS THE 13TH WARMEST ON RECORD. THE BIG STORY IN SEPTEMBER WAS THE CONTINUED DROUGHT AND ONLY 5 TO 40 PERCENT OF THE NORMAL PRECIPITATION WAS OBSERVED. ONLY 28 HUNDREDTH OF AN INCH OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED IN BANGOR, WHICH SMASHED THE RECORD FOR THE DRIEST SEPTEMBER BY A WIDE MARGIN (THE OLD RECORD WAS 64 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH IN 1929). IT WAS ALSO THE DRIEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD IN HOULTON, THE 3RD DRIEST AT MILLINOCKET, AND THE 2ND DRIEST IN CARIBOU. RECORD LOW RIVER LEVELS WERE OBSERVED ACROSS THE REGION AND DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO WORSEN WITH SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT FOR MOST OF THE REGION BY THE END OF THE MONTH. CROPS SUFFERED LOSSES ACROSS THE REGION, AND SOME WELLS DRIED UP IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. OCTOBER SAW A SHIFT IN A 5 MONTH DRY PATTERN, AND ABOVE TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION WAS OBSERVED. THE LARGEST DEPARTURES WERE IN THE NORTH WHERE CARIBOU OBSERVED 7.21 INCHES OF RAIN MAKING IT THE 3RD WETTEST OCTOBER ON RECORD. TYPICAL OF OCTOBER, THE FIRST ACCUMULATING SNOW WAS OBSERVED LATE IN THE MONTH WITH 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW, EXCEPT LOCAL AMOUNTS OF 6 TO 10 INCHES IN NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY. DROUGHT CONDITIONS GRADUALLY EASED DUE TO THE INCREASED RAINFALL, AND BY THE END OF THE MONTH FAR NORTHERN AREAS WERE NO LONGER IN DROUGHT. NOVEMBER WAS A VERY MILD MONTH AND ENDED AS THE 5TH WARMEST ON RECORD IN BOTH CARIBOU AND HOULTON AND THE 9TH WARMEST IN BANGOR. THE BIG STORY WAS THE ALL-TIME RECORD WARMTH ON THE 10TH WITH A HIGH OF 75 DEGREES (F) IN CARIBOU, WHICH SMASHED THE PREVIOUS MONTHLY RECORD BY 7 DEGREES! HOULTON HAD AN ALL-TIME MONTHLY RECORD OF 73 DEGREES (F) AS DID MILLINOCKET WITH A HIGH OF 74 DEGREES (F). DROUGHT CONDITIONS CONTINUED TO EASE WITH PRECIPITATION NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE IN MOST AREAS, BUT A BIT BELOW AVERAGE IN SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY AND ACROSS FAR NORTHWEST MAINE. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, SEVERE DROUGHT WAS LIMITED TO AREAS ALONG THE DOWNEAST COAST. DECEMBER WAS ANOTHER MONTH WITH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND FINISHED AS A TOP 10 WARMEST DECEMBER AT ALL OF THE LONG TERM CLIMATE SITES ACROSS THE REGION. THE BIG STORY WAS THE ALL-TIME WINTER RECORD WARMTH ON THE 1ST. THE HIGH OF 60 DEGREES (F) IN CARIBOU NOT ONLY BROKE THE DAILY AND MONTHLY RECORD HIGHS, BUT ALSO THE HIGH FOR THE ENTIRE METEOROLOGICAL WINTER OF 59 DEGREES (F) SET ON FEBRUARY 20, 1994. HOULTON SET A NEW ALL-TIME DECEMBER HIGH OF 60 DEGREES (F). PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL AND BY THE END OF THE MONTH DROUGHT HAD BEEN ELIMINATED ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. SNOW DEPTH AT THE END OF THE MONTH WAS UNUSUALLY LOW DUE TO A RECORD WARM CHRISTMAS THAT INCLUDED RAIN. THREE TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW WAS ON THE GROUND FROM NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY NORTH TO THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY, WITH MOSTLY BARE GROUND ALONG THE COAST. $$ CB/VJN