Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
000 CXUS51 KGYX 060504 CLAGYX PWMCLAGYX 000 TTAA00 GYX 060102 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 802 PM EST WED JAN 05 2022 ................................... ...THE GRAY ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2021... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1995 TO 2022 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE NORMAL .............................................................. TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 99 07/22/2011 LOW -15 01/15/2004 HIGHEST 95 06/28 93 2 92 06/29 LOWEST 2 01/30 -7 9 -6 01/31 AVG. MAXIMUM 56.7 55.1 1.6 56.4 AVG. MINIMUM 40.1 37.6 2.5 39.0 MEAN 48.4 46.3 2.1 47.7 DAYS MAX >= 90 9 4.7 4.3 5 DAYS MAX <= 32 46 51.7 -5.7 37 DAYS MIN <= 32 141 143.8 -2.8 145 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 7.1 -7.1 5 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 71.90 2005 TOTALS 45.00 50.14 -5.14 48.16 DAILY AVG. 0.12 0.14 -0.02 0.13 DAYS >= .01 144 139.8 4.2 121 DAYS >= .10 79 84.4 -5.4 66 DAYS >= .50 27 33.2 -6.2 33 DAYS >= 1.00 13 13.1 -0.1 15 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 3.30 10/30 TO 10/31 3.77 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 125.2 2008 TOTALS 35.3 84.0 -48.7 65.9 SINCE 7/1 11.6 22.1 -10.5 18.9 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 1 DAYS >= TRACE 61 35.0 57 DAYS >= 1.0 13 19.9 -6.9 13 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 10 02/23 15 24 HR TOTAL 5.3 02/01 TO 02/02 11.7 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 6452 7163 -711 6758 SINCE 7/1 2318 2613 -295 2455 COOLING TOTAL 536 396 140 548 FREEZE DATES RECORD EARLIEST 09/29/2000 LATEST 05/11/2010 EARLIEST 11/03 LATEST 04/23 .............................................................. - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && THEY YEAR STARTED OFF MILD WITH A SHALLOW SNOWPACK. THE JANUARY THAW ARRIVED ON THE 16TH WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 46 DEGREES WITH 1.63 INCHES OF RAIN BRINGING THE SNOWPACK DOWN TO JUST A TRACE. CONDITIONS TURNED COLDER THE LAST WEEK OF JANUARY INTO THE FIRST THREE WEEKS OF FEBRUARY AND WE STARTED TO REBUILD THE SNOWPACK WITH SEVERAL LIGHT SNOW EVENTS. CONDITIONS TURNED MILD AGAIN AT THE END OF FEBRUARY FOLLOWED BY LARGE TEMPERATURE SWINGS THROUGH MUCH OF MARCH. MILD WEATHER THEN DOMINATED THE LAST WEEK OF MARCH WITH THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOWPACK MELTING MARCH 26TH. MILD WEATHER WITH SOME EXTENDED DRY PERIODS WOULD DOMINATE THE SPRING. THE FIRST 70 DEGREE DAY WAS ON APRIL 10TH WITH A HIGH OF 75 DEGREES. THE LAST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL WAS APRIL 16TH WITH ONLY 0.9 INCHES FOLLOWED BY THE LAST FREEZE ON APRIL 23RD. FOR A SECOND YEAR IN A ROW THERE WAS A DRY START TO THE GROWING SEASON WITH A RESURGENCE OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS. AFTER A HIGH OF 92 DEGREES ON MAY 26TH THE WARM AND DRY PATTERN TURNED COOL AND RAINY OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES REBOUNDED QUICKLY GOING INTO JUNE WITH 5 STRAIGHT DAYS IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOW 90S STARTING JUNE 5TH. THE HEAT BACKED OFF SOME THROUGH MID JUNE, BUT CAME BACK STRONG AT THE END OF THE MONTH. HIGHS CLIMBED INTO THE 90S FOR FOUR STRAIGHT DAYS FROM JUNE 27TH TO 30TH. THE HOTTEST WEATHER OF THE YEAR OCCURRED ON JUNE 28TH AND 29TH WHEN THE HIGH WAS 95 DEGREES AND WAS ALSO THE WARMEST JUNE TEMPERATURE ON RECORD. THE HOT AND DRY WEATHER TOOK QUITE THE TURN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION GOING INTO JULY. THE INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND WAS COLD AND WET WITH A LOW OF 47 ON JULY 5TH, THE COLDEST JULY TEMPERATURE ON RECORD. THE COOL AND RAINY HOLIDAY WEEKEND WAS FOLLOWED BY THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM ELSA BRINGING 2.89 INCHES OF RAIN OVER JULY 8TH AND 9TH. VERY WET AND COOL WEATHER WOULD END UP BEING THE THEME FOR JULY BRINGING AN END TO DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THIS WEATHER PATTERN BROKE DOWN GOING INTO AUGUST. THERE WERE TWO PERIODS OF SUMMER HEAT WITH MULTIPLE DAYS INTO THE UPPER 80S TO LOW 90S ALONG WITH RELATIVELY DRY WEATHER FOR MUCH OF AUGUST. THE WEATHER TURNED MORE ACTIVE INTO SEPTEMBER WITH THE THEME FOR THE FALL BEING WARM AND WET CONDITIONS. THE REMNANTS OF HURRICANE IDA BROUGHT 1.57 INCHES OF RAIN ON SEPTEMBER 1ST AND 2ND, CONTINUING THE TREND OF POST TROPICAL SYSTEMS BRINGING HEAVY BOUTS OF RAIN TO THE AREA. MILD AND RELATIVELY DRY WEATHER DOMINATED THE FIRST HALF OF OCTOBER. GOING INTO THE END OF OCTOBER THE PATTERN CHANGED FAVORING NOR`EASTERS. A STRONG NOR`EASTER BROUGHT RAIN AND WINDS ON OCTOBER 27TH FOLLOWED BY ANOTHER SYSTEM BRINGING HEAVY RAINFALL OVER HALLOWEEN WEEKEND. THE SYSTEM OVER HALLOWEEN WEEKEND BROUGHT THE GREATEST STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF THE YEAR WITH 3.36 INCHES ON OCTOBER 30TH AND 31ST. COLDER WEATHER FINALLY ARRIVED IN NOVEMBER WITH THE FIRST FREEZE OCCURRING ON NOVEMBER 3RD. IN AN OTHERWISE DRY MONTH A BROAD AREA OF LOW PRESSURE BROUGHT HEAVY RAIN NOVEMBER 12TH AND 13TH WITH A STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF 2.09 INCHES. THE FIRST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL CAME ON NOVEMBER 26TH AND 27TH FOR A TOTAL OF 0.4 INCHES WITH COOL WEATHER PERSISTING THROUGH THE END OF NOVEMBER. THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SNOWSTORM CAME ON DECEMBER 18TH AND 19TH FOR A TOTAL OF 4.6 INCHES. THIS SNOW STUCK AROUND THROUGH CHRISTMAS WITH MORE SNOW FALLING ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 48.4 DEGREES WHICH WAS 2.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE WARMEST YEAR WAS IN 2010 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 48.9 DEGREES. THE COOLEST WAS 45.1 DEGREES IN 1997. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR EACH MONTH OF 2021 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY MONTH IN 2021 MONTH MAXIMUM MINIMUM AVERAGE NOTES JANUARY 31.8 (+2.4) 19.8 (+7.2) 25.8 (+4.8) FEBRUARY 31.8 (-1.8) 18.0 (+2.1) 24.9 (+0.2) MARCH 44.3 (+2.4) 24.4 (+0.4) 34.3 (+1.4) APRIL 55.9 (+2.3) 36.5 (+1.6) 46.2 (+1.9) MAY 66.7 (+2.4) 46.0 (+2.0) 56.3 (+2.1) JUNE 79.9 (+6.5) 59.5 (+5.7) 69.7 (+6.1) WARMEST JULY 74.4 (-4.6) 59.0 (-1.1) 66.7 (-2.8) AUGUST 79.7 (+1.5) 62.9 (+4.0) 71.3 (+2.7) SEPTEMBER 71.4 (+1.0) 54.9 (+3.4) 63.2 (+2.3) OCTOBER 60.4 (+2.7) 46.4 (+5.6) 53.4 (+4.2) NOVEMBER 47.0 (+0.9) 30.8 (-0.6) 38.9 (+0.1) DECEMBER 37.1 (+1.9) 23.3 (+2.2) 30.2 (+2.0) ANNUAL 56.7 (+1.6) 40.1 (+2.5) 48.4 (+2.1) 2ND WARMEST *NOTE THAT THE NWS BEGAN USING NEW 30-YEAR NORMAL VALUES IN MAY OF 2021. THE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL LISTED HERE IS THE DEPARTURE FROM THE NORMAL USED AT THE TIME. JANUARY THROUGH APRIL USES THE OLD NORMAL VALUES, WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR AND THE ANNUAL VALUES ARE REPORTED RELATIVE TO THE NEW 1991-2020 NORMALS. A TOTAL OF 45.00 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH WAS 5.14 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL OVER HALLOWEEN WEEKEND WHEN 3.36 INCHES OF RAIN FELL FROM OCTOBER 30TH TO 31ST. THE DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 2001 WHEN ONLY 34.77 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR EACH MONTH OF 2021 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR 2021 MONTH PRECIPITATION SNOWFALL NOTES JANUARY 2.50 (-1.03) 7.8 (-13.4) FEBRUARY 3.16 (-0.15) 15.0 (-1.5) MARCH 1.84 (-2.33) T (-19.9) LEAST SNOWY APRIL 3.94 (-0.44) 0.9 (-3.9) MAY 2.14 (-1.42) 0 JUNE 0.83 (-3.90) 0 DRIEST JULY 10.47 (+6.74) 0 WETTEST AUGUST 1.69 (-2.15) 0 SEPTEMBER 5.32 (+1.00) 0 OCTOBER 6.62 (+1.20) 0 (-0.6) NOVEMBER 3.26 (-1.39) 0.4 (-3.4) DECEMBER 3.23 (+1.36) 11.2 (-6.5) ANNUAL 45.00 (-5.14) 35.3 (-48.7) *NOTE THAT THE NWS BEGAN USING NEW 30-YEAR NORMAL VALUES IN MAY OF 2021. THE DEPARTURE FROM NORMAL LISTED HERE IS THE DEPARTURE FROM THE NORMAL USED AT THE TIME. JANUARY THROUGH APRIL USES THE OLD NORMAL VALUES, WHILE THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR AND THE ANNUAL VALUES ARE REPORTED RELATIVE TO THE NEW 1991-2020 NORMALS. DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2021 DAY PRECIPITATION JANUARY 16 1.63 FEBRUARY 2 1.09 MARCH 28 1.06 JULY 4 1.28 JULY 9 2.84 JULY 18 1.89 JULY 29 1.34 SEPTEMBER 2 1.21 SEPTEMBER 9 1.35 OCTOBER 16 1.38 OCTOBER 30 1.52 OCTOBER 31 1.84 NOVEMBER 12 1.75 SNOWFALL STATISTICS ARE NORMALLY LISTED BY SEASON RATHER THAN BY CALENDAR YEAR. HOWEVER, 2021 SAW 35.3 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WHICH WAS 47.8 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND THE SECOND LEAST ANNUAL SNOWFALL ON RECORD. THE HEAVIEST SNOWSTORM WAS ON FEBRUARY 1ST AND 2ND WHEN 5.3 INCHES WAS MEASURED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN 2021. DAYS WITH AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN 2021 DAYS SNOWFALL NONE $$ SCHROETER