979
CXUS51 KCAR 052148
CLSCAR

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
448 PM EST FRI DEC 05 2025

...................................

...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
9/1/2025 TO 11/30/2025...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1939 TO 2025

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART   LAST YEAR`S
                VALUE   DATE(S)   VALUE   FROM     VALUE DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             92   09/01/2010
 LOW              -8   11/30/1995
HIGHEST           83   10/06         MM      MM       86  09/18
LOWEST            16   11/30         MM      MM       19  11/14
AVG. MAXIMUM    55.2               53.4     1.8     57.4
AVG. MINIMUM    36.3               35.8     0.5     39.7
MEAN            45.7               44.6     1.1     48.6
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.1    -0.1        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     5                7.8    -2.8        0
DAYS MIN <= 32    33               38.2    -5.2       23
DAYS MIN <= 0      0                0.2    -0.2        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       19.03   2008
 MINIMUM        4.65   1955
TOTALS          8.13              10.78   -2.65     4.84
DAILY AVG.      0.09               0.12   -0.03     0.05
DAYS >= .01       33               38.4    -5.4       34
DAYS >= .10       17               22.0    -5.0       19
DAYS >= .50        6                7.0    -1.0        1
DAYS >= 1.00       1                2.2    -1.2        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   1.44    MM                          0.60

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          35.3   1974
TOTALS          11.0               12.2    -1.2      6.6
SINCE 7/1       11.0               12.2    -1.2       MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     0                                   0
DAYS >= 1.0        3                3.4    -0.4        2
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH        5   11/17                           5  11/29
 24 HR TOTAL      MM                                  MM

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   1736               1877    -141     1505
 SINCE 7/1      1851               1991    -140       MM
COOLING TOTAL      7                 18     -11       32
 SINCE 1/1       259                224      35       MM
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              6.0
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    26/300    DATE  11/01
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    42/310    DATE  11/01

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.48
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           35
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             34
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         22

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     74

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              2     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN               10     RAIN                      15
LIGHT RAIN               36     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          3     HAIL                       2
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       3
LIGHT SNOW               15     SLEET                      0
FOG                      44     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      9
HAZE                      2

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
*  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

................................................................

...NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE FALL 2025 CLIMATE NARRATIVE...

THE METEOROLOGICAL FALL (SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER) SEASON WRAPPED UP WITH GENERALLY ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, AND SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION, AT DESIGNATED CLIMATE SITES IN CARIBOU, HOULTON, MILLINOCKET, AND BANGOR.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL, WITH A SLIGHT WARM ANOMALY. CARIBOU WAS 1.0 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL, WITH A SEASONAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 45.7 DEGREES. BANGOR WAS THE WARMEST STATION, WITH AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BEING 0.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AT 49.2 DEGREES. MILLINOCKET RECORDED 1.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL, AT 47.7 DEGREES. LASTLY, HOULTON WAS ABOUT 1.3 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE, WITH A SEASONAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 45.8 DEGREES.

MAXIMUM AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE NEAR NORMAL, TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. CARIBOU HAD THE COOLEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES, BEING 0.1 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. BANGOR WAS ABOVE AVERAGE BY 1.4 DEGREES. MILLIBOCKET RECORDS MAXIMUM HIGH TEMPERATURES 1.8 DEGREES ABOVE CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL. LASTLY, HOULTON WAS 2.3 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL FOR MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT AUTUMN.

THIS AUTUMN SEASON HAD SOME ABOVE AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES, WITH SOME MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS GETTING BROKEN ON OCTOBER 6TH. CARIBOU BROKE ITS ALL-TIME HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 83 DEGREES, DURING A HEAT EVENT. DURING THIS SAME EVENT, MILLINOCKET REACHED 85, AND HOULTON REACHED 84 DEGREES, BOTH OF WHICH ALSO BROKE PREVIOUS ALL-TIME HIGH MONTHLY RECORDS. BANGOR RECORDED 84 DEGREES, WHICH WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST TEMPERATURE RECORD, RIGHT BEHIND A 86 DEGREE RECORD IN 1968. THE PAST 5 YEARS HAVE BEEN WITHIN THE TOP 10 WARMEST OCTOBERS FOR THESE CLIMATE SITES, WITH RECORDS DATING BACK TO 1953. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENTS THROUGHOUT SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, AND NOVEMBER.

THE BIG STORY FOR THE AUTUMN SEASON WAS THE SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW AVERAGE RAINFALL AND PROLONGED DROUGHT CONDITIONS. THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE FALL SEASON, MILLINOCKET GOT THE MOST PRECIPITATION COMPARED TO THE OTHER CLIMATE SITES, RECEIVING 8.64 INCHES, WHICH IS STILL ABOUT 3.62 INCHES BELOW CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL. BANGOR ONLY RECEIVED 8.27 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION, RESULTING IN A 3.91 DEFICIT FROM CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL.  CARIBOU RECEIVED  8.13 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION, WHICH IS 2.65 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION BELOW NORMAL. LASTLY, HOULTON GOT 7.47 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION, WHICH IS A 3.58 INCH DEFICIT FROM NORMAL.

AT THE END OF AUGUST/EARLY SEPTEMBER, COASTAL AND CENTRAL MAINE WAS IN SEVERE DROUGHT (D2). A THIN REGION IN CENTRAL MAINE JUST NORTH OF THE SEVERE DROUGHT, IN PISCATAQUIS, PENOBSCOT, FAR SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK, AND FAR NORTHERN WASHINGTON, WAS UNDER MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) CONDITIONS. THE MAJORITY OF NORTHERN MAINE, INCLUDING CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS, NORTHERN PENOBSCOT, AND SOUTH/EAST AROOSTOOK, WAS ABNORMALLY DRY (D0). WEST AROOSTOOK AND NORTHERN  SOMERSET HAD NO DROUGHT. DROUGHT PEAKED IN OCTOBER, WITH GENERALLY THE ENTIRE STATE IN SEVERE DROUGHT OR HIGHER, SAVE FOR THE MODERATE DROUGHT IN THE CROWN OF MAINE AND FAR WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE NORTH. DOWNEAST AND COASTAL MAINE ROSE AS HIGH AS EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) THROUGHOUT OCTOBER. CONDITIONS SLOWLY BEGAN TO IMPROVE IN NOVEMBER, WITH THE SEASON CLOSING OUT WITH PORTIONS OF THE BANGOR REGION AND SOUTH/CENTRAL HANCOCK COUNTY, WESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY, NORTHWESTERN PISCATAQUIS, NORTHERN SOMERSET, AND NORTH/CENTRAL AROOSTOOK IN SEVERE DROUGHT. EA
STERN WASHINGTON, NORTHERN HANCOCK, NORTH/CENTRAL PENOBSCOT, SOUTH/CENTRAL PISCATAQUIS, AND SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK IN MODERATE DROUGHT.

BY THE END OF OCTOBER, THIS DROUGHT HAD BECOME THE WORST DROUGHT IN MAINE HISTORY SINCE 2002. A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CROPS WERE LOST DURING THE HARVESTING SEASON. MULTIPLE RECORD LOW RIVER STREAMFALLS ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL MAINE, INCLUDING THE ST. JOHN, FISH RIVER, ST. CROIX, AND MATTAWAMKEAG. MULTIPLE DRY WELL REPORTS THROUGHOUT NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE WERE RECORDED DURING THIS TIME.

FOR THE NEXT SEASONAL OUTLOOK GIVEN BY THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER (CPC), LOOKING AT METEOROLOGICAL WINTER (DECEMBER-FEBRUARY), THERE IS NOT A STRONG SIGNAL FOR ABOVE OR BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES OR PRECIPITATION.  TYPICAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR METEOROLOGICAL WINTER IN THESE CLIMATE SITES ARE IN THE TEENS TO 20S, WITH HIGHS GENERALLY IN THE 20S AND LOWS IN THE LOW-TEENS TO SINGLE DIGITS. TYPICAL SNOWFALL FOR BANGOR DURING THE WINTER SEASON (SPECIFICALLY DECEMBER-FEBRUARY) IS ROUGHLY 50 INCHES,  AND TYPICAL SNOWFALL FOR CARIBOU IS ROUGHLY 75 INCHES. CURRENTLY, THERE IS LA NINA ADVISORY ISSUED BY THE CPC, AND CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO TRANSITION TOWARDS ENSO-NEUTRAL IN EARLY 2026. AUTUMN WAS GENERALLY INFLUENCED BY NEGATIVE NORTH ATLANTIC OSCILLATION (NAO) CONDITIONS, AND CURRENT MODEL PREDICTIONS SHOW THE NAO PHASE BEGINNING TO TRANSITION ON A  POSITIVE TREND OR THE WINTER SEASON.

$$

ASB