Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
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000 CXUS51 KGYX 041150 CCA CLSPWM PWMCLSPWM 000 TTAA00 GYX 012010 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 800 PM EST MON MAR 01 2021 ................................... ...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE WINTER SEASON, FROM 12/1/2020 TO 2/28/2021... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1981 TO 2010 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 71 12/06/2001 12/07/1998 LOW -39 02/16/1943 HIGHEST 59 12/01 59 0 63 01/11 LOWEST 02/12 -10 9 -4 01/21 AVG. MAXIMUM 35.7 34.3 1.4 38.5 AVG. MINIMUM 20.7 16.8 3.9 21.9 MEAN 28.2 25.6 2.6 30.2 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 32 37.0 -5.0 21 DAYS MIN <= 32 84 82.9 1.1 80 DAYS MIN <= 0 1 7.6 -6.6 3 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 20.49 1935 MINIMUM 4.12 1872 TOTALS 10.39 10.65 -0.26 15.55 DAILY AVG. 0.11 0.12 -0.01 0.17 DAYS >= .01 30 32.3 -2.3 MM DAYS >= .10 14 19.5 -5.5 MM DAYS >= .50 9 7.0 2.0 MM DAYS >= 1.00 4 2.7 1.3 MM GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 2.02 12/05 TO 12/06 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 107.6 1971 TOTALS 40.8 44.5 -3.7 50.2 SINCE 7/1 40.9 46.4 -5.5 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 DAYS >= TRACE 31 20.1 10.9 MM DAYS >= 1.0 11 11.5 -0.5 MM GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 12 12/18 24 HR TOTAL 17.6 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 3283 3550 -267 3145 SINCE 7/1 4550 5043 -493 MM COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0 SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 0 ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.8 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 37/290 DATE 12/01 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 49/180 DATE 01/16 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.60 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 71 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 0 HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 7 LIGHT RAIN 15 FREEZING RAIN 1 LT FREEZING RAIN 1 HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 6 LIGHT SNOW 29 FOG 35 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 4 HAZE 3 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && THE WINTER SEASON BEGAN JUST AS A SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM WAS EXITING THE REGION. ALTHOUGH THE TEMPERATURE WAS A BALMY 59 DEGREES TO START DECEMBER, STRONG WINDS GUSTING TO 49 MPH BROUGHT IN COOLER BUT STILL MILD AIR. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM ON DECEMBER 5 BROUGHT NEARLY 2 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION INCLUDING JUST UNDER 2 INCHES OF STICKY WET SNOWFALL. COLDER WEATHER MOVING IN BEHIND THIS STORM ALLOWED THE SNOW TO STAY ON THE GROUND FOR MORE THAN A WEEK. A COLD FRONT BROUGHT A SHIFT TOWARD MUCH COLDER WEATHER IN MID DECEMBER WITH THE TEMPERATURE STAYING BELOW FREEZING FOR 7 STRAIGHT DAYS. IN THE MIDST OF THIS COLD STRETCH CAME ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM. PORTLAND RECORDED 17.6 INCHES OF FLUFFY SNOWFALL IN A LITTLE MORE THAN 12 HOURS ON DECEMBER 17. THE TEMPERATURE BOTTOMED OUT AT 3 DEGREES ON DECEMBER 19 BEFORE A GRADUAL WARM UP BEGAN. DESPITE ALL THE SNOW THAT FELL JUST A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS, WARM WEATHER AND RAIN WASHED IT ALL AWAY ON CHRISTMAS DAY. THE TEMPERATURE HIT 55 DEGREES WITH 46 MPH WINDS AND MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAINFALL. MILD WEATHER CONTINUED FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS. MOST DAYS SAW THE TEMPERATURE WARM INTO THE MID 30S TO LOW 40S, BUT FREQUENTLY CLOUDY WEATHER MEANT THAT THE TEMPERATURE RARELY FELL LOWER THAN THE 20S. THE WARMEST WEATHER WAS IN MID JANUARY WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 48 DEGREES ALONG WITH MORE THAN AN INCH OF RAINFALL. SOME COOLER WEATHER WAS OBSERVED ALONG WITH A FEW LIGHT SNOWFALLS IN THE LAST PART OF JANUARY. THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM WAS ON FEBRUARY 1 AND 2 WHEN NEARLY 8 INCHES OF SNOW AND SLEET FELL. A FEW MORE LIGHT SNOWFALLS AND SOME CONSISTENTLY COLD WEATHER MADE THIS THE FIRST CONSISTENT SNOW PACK OF THE WINTER, LASTING THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY. A VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR MASS SPILLED INTO THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES IN EARLY FEBRUARY, AND NEW ENGLAND FOUND ITSELF ON THE EASTERN EDGE OF THIS AIR MASS. THIS BROUGHT CONSISTENTLY COLD WEATHER AND A FEW WINTER STORMS, BUT SPARED THE REGION THE MORE BRUTAL COLD. THE TEMPERATURE STAYED BELOW FREEZING FOR THE BETTER PART OF TWO WEEKS WITH THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE RECORDED AT 1 BELOW ZERO ON FEBRUARY 12. SNOW, SLEET, AND FREEZING RAIN FELL ON THE 16TH WITH MORE SNOW FALLING AGAIN ON THE 19TH. FINALLY MORE MILD WEATHER RETURNED FOR THE LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE WINTER WAS 28.2 DEGREES WHICH WAS 2.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. THE WARMEST WINTER WAS IN 2001-02 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 31.3 DEGREES. THE COLDEST WAS IN 1970-71 WHEN IT WAS 17.9 DEGREES. A TOTAL OF 10.39 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH WAS 0.26 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST FELL IN DECEMBER WHEN SEVERAL STORM SYSTEMS BROUGHT HEAVY PRECIPITATION. THE HEAVIEST WAS ON DECEMBER 5 AND 6 WHEN 2.02 INCHES OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED. THE DRIEST WINTER WAS IN 1871-72 WHEN ONLY 4.12 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE WETTEST WAS IN 1934-35 WITH 20.49 INCHES. THERE WAS 40.0 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WHICH WAS 5.5 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST SNOW FELL ON DECEMBER 17 WHEN 17.6 INCHES WAS MEASURED. THE LEAST SNOWY WINTER WAS IN 1936-37 WHEN ONLY 9.5 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE SNOWIEST WINTER WAS IN 1970-71 WITH 107.6 INCHES. THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN WINTER 2020/21... DATE RECORD PREVIOUS DEC 1 44 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 43 IN 2010 DEC 1 52 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 52 IN 2001 (TIED) DEC 5 1.99 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.42 IN 1900 DEC 8 5 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 5 IN 2012 (TIED) DEC 25 47 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 38 IN 2014 AND OTHERS DEC 25 51 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 49 IN 2018 JAN 5 4 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 5 IN 2010, 1948 FEB 3 6 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 6 IN 1989 & OTHERS (TIED) $$ KIMBLE