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CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
355 PM EST FRI FEB 02 2024

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

...THE PORTLAND ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2024...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1941 TO 2024
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1871 TO 2024 (FOR PRECIPITATION)
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1882 TO 2024 (FOR SNOWFALL)

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART   LAST YEAR`S
                VALUE   DATE(S)   VALUE   FROM     VALUE DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             67   01/06/2007
 LOW             -26   01/19/1971
HIGHEST           52   01/10         50       2       55  01/01
LOWEST             6   01/22         -7      13       11  01/22
AVG. MAXIMUM    34.2               32.4     1.8     38.5
AVG. MINIMUM    20.6               15.6     5.0     24.4
MEAN            27.4               24.0     3.4     31.5
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32    14               15.9    -1.9        7
DAYS MIN <= 32    29               29.3    -0.3       28
DAYS MIN <= 0      0                3.5    -3.5        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       12.29   1935
 MINIMUM        0.28   2004
TOTALS          7.92               3.50    4.42     7.74
DAILY AVG.      0.26               0.11    0.15     0.25
DAYS >= .01       10               11.2    -1.2       19
DAYS >= .10       10                6.7     3.3       13
DAYS >= .50        5                2.5     2.5        6
DAYS >= 1.00       2                0.8     1.2        3
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   2.69   01/09 TO 01/10

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL          62.4   1979
TOTALS          23.0               18.6     4.4     24.0
SINCE 7/1       23.7               35.7   -12.0     28.7
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     2
DAYS >= TRACE     14                7.6     6.4
DAYS >= 1.0        5                4.5     0.5
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH       11   01/08
 24 HR TOTAL    12.8   01/07

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   1157               1271    -114     1031
 SINCE 7/1      3339               3726    -387     3283
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0        0
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              7.6
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    38/120    DATE  01/10
                                38/090          01/13
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    63/130    DATE  01/10

SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.62

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     72

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     HEAVY RAIN                 2
RAIN                      4     LIGHT RAIN                 7
FREEZING RAIN             0     LT FREEZING RAIN           3
HEAVY SNOW                2     SNOW                       5
LIGHT SNOW               12     FOG                       13
FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE     3     HAZE                       2

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

&&

THE THEME FOR WETTER AND WARMER THAN NORMAL CONDITIONS THAT
DOMINATED IN 2023 CONTINUED INTO JANUARY FOR THE PORTLAND AREA.
THERE WAS NO SNOW ON THE GROUND TO START THE MONTH, BUT THAT CHANGED
WHEN LOW PRESSURE TRACKED ACROSS SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND ON THE 7TH
THAT BROUGHT 12.8 INCHES OF LOW DENSITY SNOW. THIS WOULD BE THE
GREATEST SNOWFALL FOR THE MONTH AND TO THE DISMAY OF SNOW
ENTHUSIASTS, THIS SNOW WAS WIPED OUT BY TWO STRONG LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEMS THAT TRACKED WEST OF NEW ENGLAND ON THE 10TH AND THE 13TH.
THE FIRST STORM ARRIVED THE EVENING OF THE 9TH AND BROUGHT 2.69
INCHES OF RAIN ALONG WITH DAMAGING SOUTHEAST WINDS THAT PEAKED AT 63
MPH. UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE COAST OF MAINE, THESE STRONG ONSHORE
WINDS PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE THAT PEAKED IN ALIGNMENT
WITH THE LATE MORNING HIGH TIDE. THIS PRODUCED THE 4TH HIGHEST WATER
LEVEL AT PORTLAND AT 13.84 FEET AND RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT COASTAL
FLOODING WITH PORTIONS OF THE MID COAST HIT PARTICULARLY HARD. THE
STORM ON THE 13TH WAS SLIGHTLY WEAKER PRODUCING PEAK WINDS OF 53 MPH
AND RAINFALL OF 2.43 INCHES. HOWEVER, THE PEAK IN THE STORM SURGE
WAS IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE PEAK OF THE ASTRONOMICAL HIGH TIDE FOR THE
MONTH. THIS RESULTED IN A NEW ALL TIME RECORD WATER LEVEL AT
PORTLAND WITH THE TIDAL GAGE REACHING 14.57 FEET AND A SECOND ROUND
OF DEVASTATING COASTAL FLOODING WITH AREAS ALONG CASCO BAY AND
COASTAL YORK COUNTY GETTING HIT THE HARDEST. THE REST OF THE MONTH
FEATURED TEMPERATURES RUNNING BELOW NORMAL FOR SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE
RUNNING WELL ABOVE NORMAL TOWARDS THE END OF THE MONTH. DURING THIS
TIME THERE WERE MULTIPLE LIGHT PRECIPITATION EVENTS THAT BROUGHT
PERIODS OF SNOW, SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WITH THE PORTLAND AREA
ENDING THE MONTH WITH 5 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND.

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH WAS 27.4 DEGREES, WHICH WAS
3.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AND THE 9TH WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD. THE
WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD WAS IN 2023 WHEN THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
WAS 31.5 DEGREES. THE COLDEST WAS 12.1 DEGREES IN 1971. THE FOLLOWING
TABLE LISTS THE WARMEST JANUARYS ON RECORD AT PORTLAND.

WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE IN JANUARY (SINCE 1941)
RANKTEMPYEAR
1    31.5    2023
2    30.42002
3    30.22006
4    30.11990
5    29.82020
    29.82017
7    28.51953
8    27.82021
9    27.42024 <===
10    27.31956

A TOTAL OF 7.92 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL, WHICH WAS 4.42 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL AND THE 6TH WETTEST JANUARY ON RECORD. THE WETTEST WAS
IN 1935 WHEN 12.29 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL. THE DRIEST WAS 0.28
INCHES IN 2004. THE FOLLOWING TABLE LISTS THE WETTEST JANUARYS ON
RECORD.

WETTEST JANUARY ON RECORD (SINCE 1871)
RANKPRECIPYEAR
1   12.291935
2   11.921979
3   10.011936
4    9.411958
5    8.551923
6    7.922024 <===
7    7.742023
8    7.721891
9    6.911978
10    6.711932

A TOTAL OF 23.0 INCHES OF SNOW FELL, WHICH WAS 4.4 INCHES ABOVE
NORMAL. THE SNOWIEST JANUARY WAS IN 1979 WHEN 62.4 INCHES FELL. THE
LEAST SNOWIEST WAS 1.6 INCHES IN 1908.

THE FOLLOWING DAILY RECORDS WERE SET OR TIED IN JANUARY 2023...
DATE    RECORD                                 PREVIOUS
JAN  7   12.8 - GREATEST SNOWFALL              12.7 IN 1977
JAN 10    52  - WARMEST HIGH TEMPERATURE       52 IN 2016 (TIED)
JAN 10    38  - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE        36 IN 1956
JAN 10    45  - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE    43 IN 2016
JAN 13    37  - WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURE        36 IN 2023 AND 2013
JAN 13    44  - WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURE    41 IN 2013
JAN 13   2.43 - GREATEST PRECIPITATION         1.22 IN 1979
JAN 29     4  - SMALLEST TEMPERATURE RANGE      5 IN 1958

$$

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