Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
630 CXUS51 KGYX 042339 CLAPWM PWMCLMPWM 000 TTAA00 KGYX 042003 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 639 PM EST SAT JAN 4 2020 ................................... ...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2019... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1941 TO 2019 /FOR TEMPERATURES/ CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1871 TO 2019 /FOR PRECIPITATION/ CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1882 TO 2019 /FOR SNOWFALL/ WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 103 08/02/1975 LOW -39 02/16/1943 HIGHEST 94 07/21 93 1 93 08/28 08/06 08/07 LOWEST -2 02/02 -10 8 -17 01/01 AVG. MAXIMUM 55.8 55.8 0.0 56.2 AVG. MINIMUM 38.1 37.2 0.9 38.7 MEAN 46.9 46.5 0.4 47.5 DAYS MAX >= 90 4 4.6 -0.6 9 DAYS MAX <= 32 42 42.1 -0.1 36 DAYS MIN <= 32 146 145.8 0.2 149 DAYS MIN <= 0 1 7.7 -6.7 5 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 66.45 2005 MINIMUM 25.27 1941 TOTALS 52.40 47.25 5.15 52.80 DAILY AVG. 0.14 0.13 0.01 0.15 DAYS >= .01 145 130.9 14.1 133 DAYS >= .10 89 79.4 9.6 86 DAYS >= .50 39 30.1 8.9 42 DAYS >= 1.00 12 11.5 0.5 15 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 3.40 12/14 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 150.1 1956 TOTALS 71.0 61.9 9.1 91.8 SINCE 7/1 26.4 15.1 11.3 21.4 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 1 DAYS >= TRACE 51 27.6 23.4 62 DAYS >= 1.0 20 15.9 4.1 18 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 11 12/31 24 HR TOTAL 9.8 12/30 DEGREE_DAYS HEATING TOTAL 6934 7106 -172 6865 SINCE 7/1 2485 2612 -127 2620 COOLING TOTAL 474 360 114 585 FREEZE DATES RECORD EARLIEST 05/31/1961 LATEST 09/14/1963 EARLIEST 10/08 LATEST 05/02 ................................................................. WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.4 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 46/090 DATE 10/17 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 62/090 DATE 10/17 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 68 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && THE YEAR BEGAN ON A WARM NOTE AS PORTLAND SAW THE TEMPERATURE RISE TO 50 DEGREES ON JANUARY 1. LIGHT SNOW FELL ON JANUARY 3 AND ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN ON JANUARY 8 AND 9. COLDER AIR POURED IN AFTERWARD WITH THE TEMPERATURE STAYING BELOW FREEZING FOR MOST OF THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. DURING THE MIDST OF THIS COLD SPELL, A STORM SYSTEM BROUGHT SNOW AND SLEET ON JANUARY 19 AND 20 WITH NEARLY 6 INCHES ACCUMULATING. AFTER A BIT MORE ARCTIC COLD, THE JANUARY THAW CAME ON JANUARY 24 WHEN THE TEMPERATURE SOARED TO 50 DEGREES ALONG WITH MORE THAN 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS WASHED AWAY MUCH OF THE SNOW COVER. THIS TREND OF OSCILLATING TEMPERATURE SWINGS BETWEEN VERY WARM WEATHER AND VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. MORE SNOW FELL AT THE END OF JANUARY, BUT ANOTHER THAW CAME IN THE FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY. AFTER FALLING TO THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE OF THE YEAR AT 2 BELOW ZERO ON FEBRUARY 2, THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 62 DEGREES ON FEBRUARY 5. MORE SNOW CAME A WEEK LATER WHEN 7.7 INCHES FELL ON FEBRUARY 12 AN 13. ANOTHER LARGER SNOWSTORM DROPPED MORE THAN 6 INCHES ON MARCH 3 AND 4 WITH WINTER COLD CONTINUING WELL INTO MARCH. FINALLY, THOUGH, WARMER SPRING-LIKE WEATHER ARRIVED AND ALONG WITH SOME RAIN HELPED TO CLEAR THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOW PACK BY THE MORNING OF APRIL 1. THE LAST SNOWFALL CAME ON APRIL 8 AND 9 WHEN 3.8 INCHES FELL. THE NEXT FEW MONTHS SAW FREQUENT CLOUDY AND SHOWERY WEATHER. IN FACT, FROM APRIL TO JUNE PORTLAND SAW 47 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION, THE MOST SINCE 1973. THE CLOUDY, WET WEATHER MEANT MANY COOL DAYS AND WARM NIGHTS. THE LAST FREEZE OF THE SEASON WAS ON APRIL 29, A FEW DAYS EARLIER THAN NORMAL. ALTHOUGH MOST RAINY DAYS DID NOT SEE EXCESSIVE RAINFALL, THERE WERE A FEW HEAVIER RAINFALLS INCLUDING APRIL 26 AND 27, MAY 28 AND 29, JUNE 11, AND JUNE 20 AND 21. A FEW BRIEF PERIODS OF WARMTH WERE OBSERVED IN THE MIDST OF THE OTHERWISE CLOUDY AND WET SPRING. SOME OF THE MORE NOTABLE WARMER DAYS WERE 73 DEGREES ON APRIL 13 AND 84 DEGREES ON MAY 26. AFTER THE CLOUDY AND WET SPRING KEPT TEMPERATURES COOL, THE WEATHER PATTERN SHIFTED AS THE CALENDAR TURNED TO JULY. SUMMER HEAT ARRIVED IN THE FORM OF THREE STRETCHES OF HOT WEATHER DURING THE MONTH, MAKING JULY 2019 THE WARMEST MONTH ON RECORD AT PORTLAND. THE FIRST WEEK OF JULY SAW TEMPERATURES FREQUENTLY IN THE MID TO UPPER 80S, INCLUDING 91 ON JULY 6. IN MID JULY ANOTHER STRETCH OF HOT WEATHER ARRIVED ALONG WITH VERY HUMID CONDITIONS. THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR WAS ON JULY 21 WHEN THE TEMPERATURE PEAKED AT 94 DEGREES. THE LOW TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 76 THAT DAY TIED JULY 22, 2011 AS THE WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE ON RECORD AT PORTLAND, A SIGN OF THE HIGH HUMIDITY. AFTER A BRIEF BREAK FROM THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY, IT RETURNED AT THE END OF JULY WITH ONE MORE 90 DEGREE DAY. A SERIES OF COLD FRONTS BROUGHT SOME RELIEF FROM THE HEAT IN AUGUST, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE STILL A FEW WARM DAYS REACHING THE MID 80S. A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY TRIGGERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ON AUGUST 21 WITH NEARLY 2 INCHES OF RAIN FALLING. THIS WAS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL SINCE APRIL AS PORTLAND HAD SEEN DRIER CONDITIONS DEVELOPING. THE SERIES OF COLD FRONTS CONTINUED TO BRING COOL, DRY AIR MASSES OUT OF CANADA AND INTO NEW ENGLAND THROUGH THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF SEPTEMBER. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE WAS ON SEPTEMBER 19 WHEN THE TEMPERATURE REACHED 38 DEGREES. BUT ONE FINAL STRETCH OF WARM WEATHER WAS IN STORE JUST IN TIME FOR THE FALL EQUINOX. PORTLAND SAW THE TEMPERATURE TOP 80 DEGREES FOR 5 CONSECUTIVE DAYS INCLUDING A HIGH OF 89 DEGREES ON SEPTEMBER 23 BEFORE COOLER WEATHER RETURNED. SEPTEMBER ENDED UP AS THE 3RD DRIEST ON RECORD DUE IN PART TO THE FREQUENT COOL, DRY AIR FLOWING OUT OF CANADA. PORTLAND SAW THE TEMPERATURE DROP ALL THE WAY TO 32 DEGREES ON OCTOBER 5, THE EARLIEST FALL FREEZE SINCE 2000. IN OCTOBER A NEW WEATHER PATTERN BEGAN TO ESTABLISH ITSELF FEATURING A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE CENTER OF THE COUNTRY WITH NEW ENGLAND ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THIS TROUGH. THIS MEANT WARM, MOIST AIR WAS FUNNELED INTO THE AREA, ALONG WITH FREQUENT RAINFALL. ALTHOUGH COLD FRONTS WOULD OCCASIONALLY MAKE THEIR WAY IN FROM THE WEST, THE WARM, MOIST AIR WOULD QUICKLY RETURN. PORTLAND SAW THE EFFECTS OF A SERIES OF MORE POTENT STORM SYSTEMS IN THE LAST HALF OF OCTOBER. THE FIRST DROPPED AN INCH OF RAIN ON OCTOBER 17 ALONG WITH 62 MPH WINDS WHICH CAUSED SPORADIC DAMAGE. THE NEXT BROUGHT MORE THAN 2 INCHES OF RAIN ON OCTOBER 22 AND 23, WITH ANOTHER INCH OF RAIN FALLING ON OCTOBER 27. ONE MORE STORM ARRIVED ON HALLOWEEN, BRINGING ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG WINDS WHICH PEAKED AT 49 MPH ON NOVEMBER 1. MUCH COLDER AIR BEGAN MOVING INTO THE AREA IN MID NOVEMBER, AS THE LARGE TROUGH OVER THE CENTER OF THE COUNTRY BEGAN TO SHIFT EASTWARD. THIS ALLOWED VERY COLD AIR OUT OF THE ARCTIC TO POUR INTO NEW ENGLAND. IT ALL BEGAN WITH A COLD FRONT ON NOVEMBER 7 WHICH BROUGHT THE FIRST TASTE OF WINTER COLD. MUCH OF THE NEXT TWO WEEKS SAW THE TEMPERATURE 10 TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. FREEZING RAIN, SLEET, AND SNOW FELL ON NOVEMBER 12 WITH THE TEMPERATURE STAYING NEAR OR BELOW FREEZING FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS. THE TEMPERATURE BEGAN TO MODERATE A BIT IN LATE NOVEMBER WITH THE NEXT FEW STORM SYSTEMS WARM ENOUGH TO BRING RAIN. THIS CHANGED AS DECEMBER BEGAN WITH A LONG DURATION WINTER STORM BRINGING 3 STRAIGHT DAYS OF SNOW. AFTER ABOUT A WEEK OF COLD WEATHER, IT WARMED BACK UP AGAIN IN MID DECEMBER. PORTLAND SAW 4 DAYS IN THE 50S ALONG WITH SOME SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL. THE HEAVIEST RAIN FELL ON DECEMBER 13 AND 14 WHEN 3.78 INCHES OF RAIN FELL, THE HEAVIEST OF THE ENTIRE YEAR. SOME LIGHT SNOW FELL A FEW DAYS LATER ALONG WITH BRIEFLY COLDER WEATHER, BUT WARM WEATHER JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS LEFT ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND BY CHRISTMAS MORNING. BY THE END OF THE YEAR PORTLAND FOUND ITSELF EXPERIENCING ANOTHER LONG DURATION WINTER STORM WITH MORE THAN A FOOT OF SNOW FALLING IN THE FINAL FEW DAYS OF 2019. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 46.9 DEGREES WHICH WAS 0.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE COOLEST ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE SINCE 2014. THE WARMEST YEAR WAS 49.2 DEGREES IN 2012 AND 2010. THE COLDEST WAS 43.3 DEGREES IN 1962. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR EACH MONTH OF 2019 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY MONTH IN 2019 MONTH MAXIMUM MINIMUM AVERAGE NOTES JANUARY 31.6 (+0.4) 15.2 (+1.8) 23.4 (+1.1) FEBRUARY 35.0 (+0.4) 16.9 (+0.5) 26.0 (+0.5) MARCH 40.7 (-1.4) 23.3 (-1.6) 32.0 (-1.5) APRIL 53.5 (+0.2) 35.9 (+1.2) 44.7 (+0.7) MAY 60.9 (-2.6) 45.0 (+0.8) 53.0 (-0.9) JUNE 71.7 (-1.5) 53.8 (+0.2) 62.8 (-0.6) JULY 82.9 (+4.1) 63.3 (+3.9) 73.1 (+4.0) WARMEST AUGUST 78.8 (+1.1) 59.3 (+1.1) 69.0 (+1.0) SEPTEMBER 71.5 (+1.5) 50.6 (+0.3) 61.1 (+1.0) OCTOBER 59.9 (+1.2) 43.7 (+4.8) 51.8 (+3.0) NOVEMBER 43.4 (-4.6) 28.0 (-2.9) 35.7 (-3.7) 6TH COLDEST DECEMBER 39.1 (+1.8) 22.6 (+2.2) 30.8 (+2.0) ANNUAL 55.8 (+0.0) 38.1 (+0.9) 46.9 (+0.4) THE GROWING SEASON, AS DEFINED AS THE LONGEST CONSECUTIVE DAYS ABOVE FREEZING, LASTED FOR 159 DAYS IN 2019 FROM APRIL 29 THROUGH OCTOBER 5. WHILE THIS IS EQUAL TO THE NORMAL OF 159 DAYS, IT IS THE SHORTEST GROWING SEASON PORTLAND HAS SEEN SINCE 2010, AS PORTLAND HAS EXPERIENCED MANY LONGER GROWING SEASONS IN RECENT YEARS. LAST YEAR THE GROWING SEASON WAS 178 DAYS LONG. THE LONGEST GROWING SEASON WAS IN 2014 AT 197 DAYS. THE SHORTEST WAS ONLY 110 DAYS IN 1961. A TOTAL OF 52.40 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH WAS 5.15 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON DECEMBER 13 AND 14 WHEN 3.78 INCHES WAS RECORDED. THE RAINIEST PART OF THE YEAR WAS IN THE SPRING WHEN APRIL, MAY, AND JUNE EACH HAD 15 OR MORE DAYS WITH MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. THE WETTEST MONTH WAS DECEMBER AS MULTIPLE STORM SYSTEMS BROUGHT HEAVY RAIN OR SNOW DURING THE MONTH. THE WETTEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 2005 WHEN 66.45 INCHES FELL. THE DRIEST WAS IN 1941 WHEN ONLY 25.27 INCHES WAS MEASURED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR EACH MONTH OF 2019 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR 2019 MONTH PRECIPITATION SNOWFALL NOTES JANUARY 5.53 (+2.15) 18.2 (-1.0) FEBRUARY 3.95 (+0.70) 11.5 (-0.6) MARCH 2.69 (-1.55) 11.1 (-1.6) APRIL 5.19 (+0.87) 3.8 (+1.0) MAY 4.10 (+0.09) 0.0 JUNE 5.85 (+2.06) 0.0 JULY 2.53 (-1.08) 0.0 AUGUST 4.47 (+1.33) 0.0 SEPTEMBER 0.42 (-3.27) 0.0 3RD DRIEST OCTOBER 6.23 (+1.36) 0.0 (-T) NOVEMBER 2.96 (-1.97) 0.3 (-1.6) DECEMBER 8.48 (+4.46) 26.1 (+12.9) 4TH WETTEST ANNUAL 52.40 (+5.15) 71.0 (+9.1) THERE WERE 12 DAYS THAT RECORDED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION. THIS WAS ONLY 0.5 DAYS ABOVE NORMAL. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2019. DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2019 DAY PRECIPITATION JANUARY 20 1.20 JANUARY 24 1.55 FEBRUARY 13 1.15 FEBRUARY 24 1.05 APRIL 27 1.22 JUNE 20 1.09 AUGUST 21 1.91 OCTOBER 17 1.19 OCTOBER 23 1.74 OCTOBER 27 1.35 DECEMBER 14 3.40 DECEMBER 30 1.60 SNOWFALL STATISTICS ARE NORMALLY LISTED BY SEASON RATHER THAN BY CALENDAR YEAR. HOWEVER, 2019 SAW 71.0 INCHES OF SNOWFALL WHICH WAS 9.1 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS MARKS 9 CONSECUTIVE CALENDAR YEARS WITH ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL (LAST BELOW NORMAL IN 2010). THE HEAVIEST SNOWSTORM WAS DECEMBER 29 THRU 31 WHEN 12.9 INCHES FELL. THERE WERE 20 DAYS WHICH MEASURED AT LEAST 1.0 INCH OF SNOWFALL. AT LEAST 6.0 INCHES WAS RECORDED ON 2 DAYS IN 2019. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE DAYS WHICH RECEIVED 6 INCHES OR MORE OF SNOWFALL IN 2019. DAYS WITH AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN 2019 DAYS SNOWFALL DECEMBER 3 6.3 DECEMBER 30 9.8 SNOW DEPTH WAS SOMEWHAT INCONSISTENT FOR MUCH OF JANUARY AND FEBRUARY. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL SNOW STORMS FRESH COATINGS OF SNOW, PERIODS OF WARM WEATHER AND RAIN FREQUENTLY CUT BACK ON SNOW DEPTH WITH ONLY PATCHES OF SNOW REMAINING. SNOW DEPTH PEAKED IN THE SPRING AFTER AN EARLY MARCH SNOW STORM LEFT 8 INCHES ON THE GROUND ON MARCH 4, 5, AND 6. THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOW PACK MELTED BY THE MORNING OF APRIL 1. THE SNOW RETURNED WITH A LONG DURATION WINTER STORM AT THE BEGINNING OF DECEMBER, ALTHOUGH WARM AND WET WEATHER WASHED THIS AWAY A FEW WEEKS LATER. LIGHT SNOW FELL A FEW DAYS LATER AND A TRACE WAS LEFT ON THE GROUND FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. THE BIGGEST SNOWSTORM OF THE YEAR WAS AT THE END OF DECEMBER, LEAVING 11 INCHES ON THE GROUND ON THE MORNING OF DECEMBER 31, THE MOST OF THE YEAR. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 92 DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1 INCH OF SNOW ON THE GROUND, 24 MORE DAYS THAN NORMAL. THERE WERE ONLY 15 DAYS WITH AT LEAST 6 INCHES ON THE GROUND, 20 DAYS FEWER THAN NORMAL. NO DAYS RECORDED 12 INCHES OR MORE, WHILE NORMALLY THERE WOULD BE 15 SUCH DAYS. THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN 2019... DATE RECORD PREVIOUS FEB 5 62 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 51 IN 2005 FEB 5 46 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 43 IN 2006 FEB 8 40 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 39 IN 1965 FEB 13 6 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 7 IN 2017 MAR 15 39 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 38 IN 2016 APR 20 52 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 49 IN 1987 APR 20 6 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 7 IN 1978 MAY 2 3 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 3 IN 2016 (TIED) MAY 14 45 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 47 IN 1948 MAY 14 42 - COOLEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 44 IN 1948, 1947 JUN 3 3 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 4 IN 1990, 1944 JUL 20 71 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 70 IN 2013, 1991, 1949 JUL 21 76 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 72 IN 2011 JUL 21 85 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 85 IN 2011, 1977 (TIED) AUG 17 6 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 7 IN 1965, 1951 AUG 21 1.91 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.81 IN 1904 SEP 20 39 - GREATEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 36 IN 1994 & OTHERS SEP 23 89 - WARMEST TEMPERATURE 86 IN 1941 SEP 23 68 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 68 IN 1970 (TIED) SEP 23 79 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 77 IN 1970 OCT 23 1.74 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.64 IN 1970 & 1956 OCT 31 55 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 53 IN 2004 NOV 8 36 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 36 IN 1992 & 1959 (TIED) NOV 12 33 - COOLEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 36 IN 2004 & 1985 NOV 12 26 - COLDEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 28 IN 1942 NOV 13 27 - COLDEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 33 IN 1990 NOV 13 21 - COLDEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 25 IN 1941 NOV 20 5 - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 6 IN 1998 & 1981 DEC 9 45 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 43 IN 1950 DEC 10 58 - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 58 IN 2008 (TIED) DEC 10 41 - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 39 IN 1969, 1952 DEC 10 50 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 47 IN 2008 DEC 14 46 - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 46 IN 2006 (TIED) DEC 14 3.40 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.74 IN 1917 $$ KIMBLE