Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
000 CXUS51 KCAR 062222 CLACAR CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 520 PM EST THU JAN 06 2022 ................................... ...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2021... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1939 TO 2022 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 92 06/07 MM MM 96 06/19 06/08 08/13 LOWEST -15 02/10 MM MM -24 02/15 AVG. MAXIMUM 53.2 50.2 3.0 51.2 AVG. MINIMUM 33.7 31.2 2.5 31.3 MEAN 43.4 40.7 2.7 41.2 DAYS MAX >= 90 5 1.9 3.1 9 DAYS MAX <= 32 86 90.6 -4.6 44 DAYS MIN <= 32 159 179.9 -20.9 103 DAYS MIN <= 0 21 38.1 -17.1 12 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 54.21 2005 MINIMUM 10.11 2002 TOTALS 36.96 40.70 -3.74 34.43 DAILY AVG. 0.10 0.11 -0.01 0.10 DAYS >= .01 151 160.9 -9.9 105 DAYS >= .10 83 88.6 -5.6 57 DAYS >= .50 23 26.6 -3.6 17 DAYS >= 1.00 5 6.1 -1.1 3 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.86 MM 2.45 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 181.1 1954 TOTALS 106.0 118.2 -12.2 145.4 SINCE 7/1 32.5 37.4 -4.9 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. 4 2 DAYS >= 1.0 26 30.0 -4.0 9 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 26 03/02 11 12/08 03/10 12/13 12/15 24 HR TOTAL MM MM 6.6 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 8077 9048 -971 8317 SINCE 7/1 3026 3388 -362 MM COOLING TOTAL 351 225 126 455 SINCE 1/1 351 224 127 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 6.9 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 33/310 DATE 03/02 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 47/310 DATE 03/02 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.51 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 136 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 112 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 117 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 68 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 16 MIXED PRECIP 0 HEAVY RAIN 30 RAIN 47 LIGHT RAIN 136 FREEZING RAIN 7 LT FREEZING RAIN 12 HAIL 1 HEAVY SNOW 15 SNOW 18 LIGHT SNOW 98 SLEET 8 FOG 144 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 30 HAZE 25 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. * INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ...2021 YEAR IN REVIEW... JANUARY WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR MUCH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND WELL BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION, INCLUDING SNOWFALL. IT WAS THE 2ND WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD IN CARIBOU AND THE 7TH WARMEST IN BANGOR. THERE WERE ONLY 4 NIGHTS WITH A SUB-ZERO LOW IN CARIBOU WHICH IS THE FEWEST ON RECORD. THE SNOW DEPTH WAS UNUSUALLY LOW AND AVERAGED ONLY 40 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN CARIBOU AND 25 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN BANGOR. FEBRUARY FEATURED TEMPERATURES THAT WERE SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE WITH ABOVE TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE SNOWFALL AS SEVERAL WINTER STORMS AFFECTED THE AREA. CARIBOU ENDED UP WITH A TOTAL OF 38 INCHES OF SNOW, AND IT WAS THE SNOWIEST FEBRUARY SINCE 2013 AND THE 10TH SNOWIEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THE SNOW DEPTH INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM JANUARY, AND BY THE END OF THE MONTH THERE WAS 15 TO 30 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND ACROSS THE NORTH AND 5 TO 10 INCHES ALONG THE COAST. MARCH ALSO HAD ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES THAT RANGED FROM 2 TO 3 DEGREES ABOVE THE 1991-2020 NORMALS. THE BIG STORY WAS A WARM-UP ON THE 20TH THROUGH THE 25TH WHICH BROUGHT SIX CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S AND 60S AND MELTED OUT A LOT OF THE WINTER SNOWPACK. SNOWFALL WAS WELL BELOW AVERAGE WITH ONLY A TRACE OBSERVED ALL MONTH IN BANGOR, WHICH TIED WITH 1946 FOR THE LEAST AMOUNT OF SNOW OBSERVED DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE 2ND ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY WHEN VERY STRONG WIND COMBINED WITH FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW THE DAY PRIOR TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. MANY ROADS INCLUDING PARTS OF U.S. 1 WERE CLOSED AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS AND LOCAL WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS. APRIL WAS YET ANOTHER MONTH OF ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION WITH ALL LONG TERM CLIMATE SITES OBSERVING A TOP 5 WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD. PRECIPITATION WAS CLOSE TO AVERAGE, BUT SNOWFALL WAS BELOW AVERAGE DOWNEAST AND NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AREAS. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT WAS A SNOWFALL ON THE 21ST-22ND THAT PRODUCED SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS WITH LOCALIZED HEAVY SNOW TOTALS UP TO A FOOT ACROSS THE HIGH TERRAIN OF CENTRAL, NORTHWEST, AND FAR NORTHERN SECTIONS OF MAINE. MAY FINISHED WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW TO NEAR NORMAL RAINFALL. THE MONTH BEGAN AND ENDED COOL WITH MOST INLAND AREAS WITH HIGHS IN THE 80S ON THE 26TH WITH A FEW CENTRAL AREAS IN THE LOW 90S. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY FROST AND EVEN SOME FREEZES AT THE END OF THE MONTH ON THE 27TH THROUGH THE 30TH. JUNE WENT DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS A VERY WARM MONTH. IN FACT, IT WAS THE ALL-TIME WARMEST JUNE ON RECORD IN CARIBOU. THIS FOLLOWED ON THE HEELS OF 2020 WHICH HAD JUST BECOME THE WARMEST JUNE ON RECORD. HOULTON AND MILLINOCKET OBSERVED THEIR 2ND WARMEST JUNE, AND IN BANGOR IT WAS THE 3RD WARMEST ON RECORD. OF NOTE, FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1939 THERE WAS A 90-DEGREE DAY IN CARIBOU DURING THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF JUNE. THE LOW OF 69 DEGREES ON THE 27TH TIED FOR THE ALL-TIME WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE IN CARIBOU DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE. IT RANKED AS THE 2ND DRIEST JUNE ON RECORD IN CARIBOU WITH ONLY 0.97" OF RAIN. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING THE MONTH. ON THE MORNING OF THE 9TH, THERE WAS FLASH FLOODING IN PARTS OF HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES WITH LOCAL REPORTS OF OVER 5 INCHES OF RAIN. ON THE 21ST, THERE WAS A MICROBURST OVER LIMESTONE THAT PRODUCED WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 100 TO 110 MPH. THE SAME DAY ANOTHER MICROBURST WAS OBSERVED FROM CASTLE HILL TO JUST SOUTHWEST OF CARIBOU THAT PRODUCED GUSTS THAT WERE ESTIMATED AT 90 TO 100 MPH. DROUGHT CONDITIONS WORSENED ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE MONTH WITH SEVERE DROUGHT IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT AND SOUTHWEST PISCATAQUIS COUNTIES. JULY WAS THE FIRST MONTH SINCE MAY 2020 WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IN CARIBOU, HOULTON, MILLINOCKET, AND BANGOR. IT WAS THE COOLEST JULY SINCE 2009. IT WAS THE ALL-TIME WETTEST JULY ON RECORD IN BANGOR WITH 7.67 INCHES OF RAIN WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 7.25 INCHES IN 1983. IT WAS A VERY WET MONTH DOWNEAST AND A VERY DRY MONTH ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MAINE. SEVERE WEATHER, WHICH TYPICALLY PEAKS IN JULY WAS ABSENT THIS YEAR WITH ONLY 2 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ISSUED ALL MONTH, AND THEY WERE IN HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVED DOWNEAST DUE TO THE THE ABOVE AVERAGE RAINFALL. AUGUST WAS A VERY WARM AND DRY MONTH. IN FACT, IT RANKED AS THE ALL- TIME WARMEST AUGUST ON RECORD IN CARIBOU AND HOULTON, AND THE 2ND WARMEST ON RECORD IN MILLINOCKET. RAINFALL WAS ONLY ABOUT 40 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE FAR NORTH AND WEST AND CLOSER TO AVERAGE DOWNEAST. SOME OF THE RAIN THAT WAS OBSERVED DOWNEAST WAS THE RESULT OF THE REMNANT LOW PRESSURE OF HENRI ON THE 23TH INTO THE 24TH. SEPTEMBER WAS WARMER AND WETTER THAN AVERAGE. ALL OF THE LONG TERM CLIMATE SITES HAD A TOP 10 WETTEST SEPTEMBER, WHICH HELPED SIGNIFICANTLY TO REDUCE THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION. OCTOBER WAS WARMER THAN AVERAGE WITH NO MEASURABLE SNOWFALL EXCEPT FOR THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW AVERAGE TO NEAR AVERAGE. CARIBOU SET A RECORD FOR THE LATEST FIRST FREEZE ON RECORD WHICH DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL THE 25TH. THIS SMASHED THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF OCTOBER 17, 1970. NOVEMBER WAS A BIT WARMER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE. THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OCCURRED ON THE 15TH INTO THE 16TH ACROSS THE NORTH WITH 3 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW. A LARGER STORM AFFECTED THE REGION ON THE 26TH-27TH WITH UP TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE NORTH, BUT WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS ACROSS CENTRAL AND DOWNEAST AREAS. DECEMBER WAS A LITTLE WARMER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE ACROSS THE REGION. THERE WAS A PRONOUNCED LACK OF ARCTIC AIR WITH ONLY ONE NIGHT WITH A LOW TEMPERATURE BELOW ZERO IN CARIBOU. SNOWFALL WAS NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE NORTH AND BELOW AVERAGE DOWNEAST. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE SNOWPACK RANGED FROM 6 TO 12 INCHES ACROSS THE NORTH, EXCEPT 12 TO 18 INCHES ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF NORTHWEST MAINE. AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY IN THE 4 TO 8 INCH RANGE FOR CENTRAL AREAS, AND FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES DOWNEAST, EXCEPT RIGHT ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST WHERE THERE WAS LITTLE TO NO SNOW. $$ CB/VJN