Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
000 CXUS51 KGYX 111007 CLAPWM PWMCLAPWM 000 TTAA00 GYX 032139 CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 438 PM EST TUE JAN 03 2023 ................................... ...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2022... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1941 TO 2022 (FOR TEMPERATURES) CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2022 (FOR PRECIPITATION) CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1882 TO 2022 (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 96 08/07 93 3 97 06/28 LOWEST -7 01/31 -10 3 -1 02/12 AVG. MAXIMUM 57.6 56.4 1.2 57.6 AVG. MINIMUM 38.8 38.6 0.2 40.1 MEAN 48.2 47.5 0.7 48.8 DAYS MAX >= 90 7 5.1 1.9 7 DAYS MAX <= 32 39 40.7 -1.7 32 DAYS MIN <= 32 130 144.1 -14.1 130 DAYS MIN <= 0 7 6.7 0.3 1 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 66.45 2005 MINIMUM 25.27 1941 TOTALS 46.66 48.12 -1.46 44.92 DAILY AVG. 0.13 0.13 -0.00 0.12 DAYS >= .01 118 131.4 -13.4 133 DAYS >= .10 70 80.0 -10.0 82 DAYS >= .50 30 30.9 -0.9 31 DAYS >= 1.00 16 11.9 4.1 12 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 3.27 10/13 TO 10/14 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 150.1 1956 TOTALS 36.6 68.7 -32.1 33.4 SINCE 7/1 4.7 17.1 -12.4 12.2 SNOWDEPTH AVG. 1 DAYS >= TRACE 36 28.6 7.4 46 DAYS >= 1.0 5 16.4 -11.4 13 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 11 01/30 24 HR TOTAL 13.2 01/29 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 6544 6795 -251 6281 SINCE 7/1 2252 2451 -199 2206 COOLING TOTAL 542 447 95 521 FREEZE DATES RECORD EARLIEST 09/14/1963 LATEST 05/31/1961 EARLIEST 10/09 LATEST 05/09 ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.7 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 41/360 DATE 12/23 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 65/150 DATE 12/23 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.50 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 69 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 18 HEAVY RAIN 25 RAIN 51 LIGHT RAIN 121 FREEZING RAIN 1 LT FREEZING RAIN 2 HEAVY SNOW 3 SNOW 5 LIGHT SNOW 34 FOG 145 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 33 HAZE 15 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. && COLD WEATHER WAS ABLE TO TAKE HOLD OVER NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND DURING JANUARY AS A RIDGE IN THE JET STREAM DEVELOPED OVER WESTERN NORTH AMERICA WITH A DOWNSTREAM TROUGH CENTERED OVER THE GREAT LAKES. THIS PATTERN ALLOWED FOR SEVERAL INTRUSIONS OF ARCTIC AIR INTO NEW ENGLAND AS WELL AS A STORM TRACK ALIGNED NEAR THE EAST COAST. THE COMBINATION OF COLD AIR AND COASTAL STORM TRACK SET THE STAGE FOR THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EVENT OF THE YEAR ON JANUARY 29TH WHEN A POWERFUL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOPED OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COASTLINE AND TRACKED SOUTHEAST OF CAPE COD. THIS STORM BROUGHT BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TO THE PORTLAND AREA WITH THE PEAK WIND GUST REACHING 59 MPH AND A TOTAL OF 13.2 INCHES OF SNOW. THE SNOW FROM THE BLIZZARD SETTLED TO A SNOW DEPTH OF 11 INCHES, WHICH WOULD BE THE GREATEST SNOW DEPTH OF THE YEAR. A VERY COLD AIR MASS MOVED INTO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND BEHIND THE BLIZZARD, AND WITH THE FRESH SNOWPACK THE LOW TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO -7 DEGREES ON JANUARY 31ST, WHICH WOULD BE THE COLDEST TEMPERATURE OF THE YEAR. ANOTHER IMPACTFUL WINTER STORM TO AFFECT NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND UNFOLDED ON FEBRUARY 3RD TO 4TH WHEN A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY REMAINED DRAPED THROUGH SOUTHERN MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE WITH WAVES OF LOW PRESSURE TRACKING ALONG THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. THE PORTLAND AREA WAS ON THE WARM SIDE OF THIS FRONTAL BOUNDARY THROUGH MUCH OF THIS EVENT, WHICH RESULTED IN SLEET BEING THE DOMINANT PRECIPITATION TYPE WHILE ACROSS THE FOOTHILLS AND MOUNTAINS UPWARDS OF 18 INCHES OF SNOW FELL. THROUGHOUT THE REST OF FEBRUARY AND ALL OF MARCH WINTER WEATHER WAS HARD TO COME BY WITH THE LAST OF THE WINTER SNOWPACK MELTING OUT ON MARCH 8TH. A MILD END TO WINTER WAS FOLLOWED BY NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES THROUGH APRIL WITH A RELATIVE ACTIVE PATTERN BRINGING SEVERAL BOUTS OF RAIN. THE ACTIVE PATTERN IN APRIL GAVE WAY TO A WARM AND DRY PATTERN IN MAY. BEFORE THE WARM PATTERN SET IN THE LAST FREEZE OF THE SPRING SEASON OCCURRED ON MAY 9TH WHEN THE LOW TEMPERATURE DROPPED TO 31 DEGREES AND WAS ALMOST TWO WEEKS LATER THAN THE NORMAL LAST FREEZE OF APRIL 26TH. THEREAFTER WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS DOMINATED THROUGH THE MONTH OF MAY WITH THE FIRST 70 DEGREE DAY OCCURRING ON MAY 12TH. THE LACK OF LATE WINTER AND SPRING SNOW ALONG WITH A DRY PATTERN IN MAY LED TO LITTLE IN THE WAY OF THE TRADITIONAL MUD SEASON WITH DROUGHT CONDITIONS ONCE AGAIN DEVELOPING IN NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND FOR THE THIRD SPRING IN A ROW. THE SUMMER SEASON STARTED OFF COOLER THAN NORMAL WITH A PERIOD OF BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES EARLY IN JUNE. ANOTHER PERIOD OF COOL CONDITIONS ARRIVED DURING THE THIRD WEEK OF JUNE WHEN AN ANOMALOUS UPPER LOW SETTLED OVER NEW ENGLAND WITH MEASURABLE SNOWFALL OCCURING ON MT WASHINGTON ON JUNE 19TH. JUNE WAS ALSO DRY IN THE PORTLAND AREA WITH DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXPANDING AND INTENSIFYING ACROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. TEMPERATURES THEN TRENDED WELL ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH JULY WHILE PRECIPITATION CONTINUED TO RUN BELOW NORMAL FOR THE THIRD MONTH IN A ROW. THE DOMINANT WEATHER FEATURE WAS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OVER EASTERN CANADA THAT OFTEN FAVORED DRY CANADIAN HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEMS TO MOVE OVER NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THIS MADE FOR VERY WARM AND SUNNY DAYS LEADING TO THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES BEING DRIVEN BY DAY TIME HIGHS. THE TREND IN ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUED INTO AUGUST. FROM AUGUST 5TH TO THE 7TH THE LOW TEMPERATURE DID NOT DROP BELOW 70 DEGREES AND FROM AUGUST 7TH TO THE 9TH THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ECLIPSED THE 90 DEGREE MARK FOR THREE DAYS IN A ROW MAKING THIS THE HOTTEST STRETCH OF THE SUMMER. VERY WARM CONDITIONS CONTINUED DURING THE SECOND HALF OF AUGUST AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE DEVELOPED OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. THIS RIDGE WAS IN A FAVORABLE POSITION TO ADVECT ATLANTIC MOISTURE INTO NEW ENGLAND LEADING TO VERY HUMID CONDITIONS IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THE INCREASE IN HUMIDITY LED TO MULTIPLE HEAVY RAIN EVENTS, WHICH ALLOWED AUGUST PRECIPITATION TO FINISH ABOVE NORMAL AND WAS THE FIRST MONTH SINCE APRIL WITH ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. THE RELATIVELY WET PATTERN CONTINUED INTO THE FALL SEASON WITH ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION IN SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, AND NOVEMBER. THE MIDDLE OF OCTOBER WAS PARTICULARLY ACTIVE WITH THE HEAVIEST RAINFALL OF THE YEAR OCCURING OCTOBER 13TH INTO THE 14TH WHEN 3.27 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM CROSSED THE AREA OCTOBER 17TH AND 18TH BRINGING AN ADDITIONAL 2.76 INCHES OF RAIN. THE FIRST FREEZE OF THE FALL OCCURRED ON OCTOBER 9TH WHEN THE LOW TEMPERATURE REACHED 32 DEGREES AND WAS 6 DAYS EARLIER THAN THE NORMAL FIRST FREEZE OF OCTOBER 15TH. A PERIOD OF EXCEPTIONAL WARMTH SET IN DURING THE FIRST 12 DAYS OF NOVEMBER WHEN THE HIGH TEMPERATURE ECLIPSED THE 70 DEGREE MARK THREE TIMES AND A NEW ALL TIME RECORD HIGH FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER OCCURRING ON NOVEMBER 5TH WHEN THE HIGH REACHED 75 DEGREES. MUCH COOLER WEATHER SET IN DURING THE SECOND HALF OF NOVEMBER WITH THE FIRST SNOWFALL OCCURRING NOVEMBER 15TH WHEN A TRACE OF SNOW WAS RECORDED. THE FIRST MEASURABLE SNOWFALL OCCURRED ON DECEMBER 11TH WHEN 0.3 INCHES FELL. A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND INTO THE GULF OF MAINE DECEMBER 16TH AND 17TH THAT BROUGHT A MIX OF RAIN AND HEAVY WET SNOW TO THE PORTLAND AREA WITH A STORM TOTAL SNOW OF 4.2 INCHES. FURTHER INLAND THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT WET SNOW ACCUMULATIONS THAT RESULTED IN POWER OUTAGES WITH THE MOUNTAINS RECEIVING UPWARDS OF TWO FEET OF SNOW. THE LAST SIGNIFICANT WEATHER MAKER OF THE YEAR OCCURRED ON DECEMBER 22ND AND 23RD WHEN A POWERFUL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEEPENED OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND TRACKED INTO QUEBEC. THIS SYSTEM BROUGHT DAMAGING SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY WINDS WITH THE PEAK GUST AT PORTLAND TOPPING OUT AT 65 MPH. THESE VERY STRONG ONSHORE WINDS COINCIDED WITH A PERIOD OF HIGH ASTRONOMICAL TIDES, WHICH BROUGHT SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING AND THE 4TH HIGHEST TIDE ON RECORD AT PORTLAND AT 13.72 FEET. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR WAS 48.2, WHICH WAS 0.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE 8TH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD. THE WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 2020 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE WAS 49.4 DEGREES. THE COLDEST WAS 43.3 DEGREES IN 1962. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR EACH MONTH OF 2022 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BY MONTH IN 2022 MONTH MAXIMUM MINIMUM AVERAGE NOTES JANUARY 30.1 (-2.3) 11.0 (-4.6) 20.6 (-3.4) FEBRUARY 37.3 (+2.3) 18.1 (+0.8) 27.7 (+1.5) MARCH 45.0 (+2.7) 26.4 (+0.4) 35.7 (+1.6) APRIL 53.9 (+0.1) 36.0 (+0.6) 44.9 (+0.3) MAY 65.1 (+0.9) 46.3 (+0.8) 55.7 (+0.8) JUNE 72.1 (-1.5) 53.7 (-1.3) 62.9 (-1.4) JULY 83.3 (+3.8) 61.1 (-0.1) 72.2 (+1.8) 5TH WARMEST AUGUST 81.6 (+2.9) 62.6 (+2.9) 72.1 (+2.9) 2ND WARMEST SEPTEMBER 69.5 (-1.6) 51.0 (-1.1) 60.3 (-1.3) OCTOBER 60.6 (+1.1) 41.5 (+0.5) 51.0 (+0.7) NOVEMBER 52.7 (+4.3) 33.6 (+1.9) 43.2 (+3.2) 3RD WARMEST DECEMBER 39.5 (+1.2) 24.4 (+2.0) 31.9 (+1.6) ANNUAL 57.6 (+1.2) 38.8 (+0.2) 48.2 (+0.7) 8TH WARMEST THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 48.2 WAS THE 8TH WARMEST ON RECORD FOR PORTLAND. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST AVERAGE ANNUAL TEMPERATURES AT PORTLAND. WARMEST ANNUAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (SINCE 1941). RANK AVE YEAR 1 49.4 2020 2 49.2 2012 49.2 2010 4 48.8 2021 5 48.5 2006 6 48.4 2016 7 48.3 1998 8 48.2 2022 <=== 9 48.1 1990 10 48.0 1999 THE GROWING SEASON, AS DEFINED AS THE LONGEST CONSECUTIVE DAYS ABOVE FREEZING, LASTED FOR 153 DAYS IN 2022 FROM MAY 09 THROUGH OCTOBER 09. THIS IS 17 DAYS SHORTER THAN THE NORMAL OF 170 DAYS. THE SHORTEST WAS ONLY 110 DAYS IN 1961. THE LONGEST GROWING SEASON WAS 197 DAYS IN 2014. A TOTAL OF 46.66 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 1.46 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION FELL ON OCTOBER 13TH AND 14TH WHEN AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CROSSED THE AREA BRINGING 3.27 INCHES OF RAINFALL. THE DRIEST YEAR ON RECORD WAS IN 1941 WHEN ONLY 25.27 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION WAS RECORDED. THE WETTEST WAS IN 2005 WITH 66.45 INCHES MEASURED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FOR EACH MONTH OF 2022 INCLUDING DEPARTURES FROM NORMAL. MONTHLY PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR 2022 MONTH PRECIPITATION SNOWFALL NOTES JANUARY 2.73 (-0.77) 19.6 (+1.0) FEBRUARY 3.97 (+0.43) 9.3 (-7.3) MARCH 3.06 (-1.02) 3.0 (-10.6) APRIL 5.00 (+0.59) 0.0 (-2.8) MAY 1.12 (-2.55) 0 10TH DRIEST JUNE 2.62 (-1.53) 0 JULY 1.28 (-2.15) 0 AUGUST 5.63 (+2.06) 0 SEPTEMBER 4.20 (+0.43) 0 OCTOBER 7.83 (+2.58) 0 (-0.2) 8TH WETTEST NOVEMBER 5.24 (+0.99) T (-2.3) DECEMBER 3.98 (-0.52) 4.7 (-9.9) ANNUAL 46.66 (-1.46) 36.6 (-32.1) 7TH LEAST SNOWY DAYS WITH AT LEAST 1.00 INCH OF PRECIPITATION IN 2022 DAY PRECIPITATION JANUARY 17 1.04 FEBRUARY 4 1.59 APRIL 8 2.11 AUGUST 22 2.19 AUGUST 26 1.52 AUGUST 31 1.15 SEPTEMBER 19 1.15 SEPTEMBER 22 1.07 OCTOBER 14 2.79 OCTOBER 17 1.27 OCTOBER 18 1.49 NOVEMBER 11 1.11 NOVEMBER 16 1.29 DECEMBER 7 1.01 DECEMBER 16 1.20 DECEMBER 23 1.07 DAYS WITH AT LEAST 6 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN 2022 DAYS SNOWFALL JANUARY 29 13.2 THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN 2022... DATE RECORD PREVIOUS JAN 29 13.2 -RECORD DAILY SNOWFALL 9.0 IN 1957 FEB 4 1.59 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.42 IN 1911 FEB 12 54 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 51 IN 1984 FEB 12 44 -WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 42 IN 1999, 1998 FEB 17 42 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 39 IN 1981 FEB 23 66 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 61 IN 1990 FEB 23 46 -WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 46 IN 1990 (TIED) FEB 23 41 -GREATEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 40 IN 1964 MAR 6 48 -WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 46 IN 2004, 1974 MAR 7 37 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 37 IN 2009 (TIED) APR 8 2.11 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.09 IN 1899 APR 14 4 -SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 4 IN 1952 (TIED) MAY 14 84 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 81 IN 1961 MAY 14 58 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 56 IN 1979 MAY 14 71 -WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 67 IN 1961 MAY 17 54 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 54 IN 1977 (TIED) JUNE 3 5 -SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 5 IN 2012 (TIED) AUG 7 96 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 93 IN 2018, 2011 AUG 7 74 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 71 IN 2018 AUG 8 95 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 95 IN 1949 (TIED) AUG 19 90 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 90 IN 2009, 1947 (TIED) AUG 22 2.19 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.85 IN 1885 AUG 24 66 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 66 IN 2020 (TIED) AUG 30 68 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 68 IN 2005 (TIED) OCT 14 2.79 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.89 IN 1882 OCT 18 1.49 -GREATEST PRECIPITATION 1.46 IN 1981 OCT 24 4 -SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 4 IN 2021, 1972 (TIED) OCT 26 57 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 52 IN 1991 NOV 5 55 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 55 IN 1961 (TIED) NOV 5 75* -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 71 IN 1944 NOV 5 65 -WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 60 IN 1994 NOV 6 59** -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 53 IN 1985 NOV 6 64 -WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 61 IN 2020 NOV 11 69 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 69 IN 2020 (TIED) NOV 11 61 -WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 61 IN 2020 (TIED) NOV 12 52 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 51 IN 1984 NOV 12 73 -WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE 65 IN 2020 AND 1982 NOV 12 63 -WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE 56 IN 1984 AND 1982 DEC 7 46 -WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE 40 IN 1999 DEC 16 2 -SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 4 IN 2012, 1995, 1948 DEC 17 3 -SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE 5 IN 2014 *THE RECORD HIGH OF 75 DEGREES ON THE 5TH WAS ALSO A NEW ALL TIME RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. THE PREVIOUS ALL TIME RECORD HIGH WAS 74 DEGREES WHICH WAS MOST RECENTLY SET ON NOVEMBER 7TH, 2020. **THE RECORD WARM LOW OF 59 DEGREES ON THE 6TH WAS ALSO A NEW ALL TIME RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER. THE PREVIOUS ALL TIME RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURE WAS 57 DEGREES SET ON NOVEMBER 4TH, 1982. $$ DS/HAT