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000
NOUS41 KCAR 012107
PNSCAR
MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-020915-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Caribou ME
507 PM EDT Mon Apr 1 2024

...MARCH 2024 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...

MARCH 2024 FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE
AVERAGE TO RECORD PRECIPITATION.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM 4.5 TO 6.5 DEGREES (F)
ABOVE THE 30-YEAR 1991-2020 NORMALS. IT RANKED AS THE 6TH WARMEST
MARCH ON RECORD IN CARIBOU, TIED FOR THE 9TH WARMEST MARCH ON
RECORD IN HOULTON, TIED FOR THE 8TH WARMEST MARCH IN MILLINOCKET,
AND TIED FOR THE 8TH WARMEST IN BANGOR.

PRECIPITATION WAS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE AND RANGED FROM 150 TO 250
PERCENT OF NORMAL. IN BANGOR IT WAS BY A LONG SHOT THE ALL-TIME
WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD WITH 8.99 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED
SNOW) BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 7.36 INCHES IN 1999. IT
RANKED AS THE 2ND WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD IN BANGOR DURING THE
MONTHS OF JANUARY THROUGH AUGUST, AND AS THE 10TH WETTEST MONTH ON
RECORD.

CARIBOU ALSO OBSERVED THE ALL-TIME WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD WITH A
TOTAL OF 5.74 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW), WHICH SURPASSED
THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 5.27 INCHES IN 2008. A NEW ALL-TIME RECORD
WAS ALSO ESTABLISHED IN HOULTON WHERE A TOTAL OF 5.68 INCHES OF
RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW), WHICH SURPASSED THE 5.21 INCHES THAT WAS
OBSERVED IN MARCH 1953. FINALLY, IN MILLINOCKET THE 6.17 INCHES
OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) RANKED AS THE 4TH WETTEST MARCH. IT
SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE PRECIPITATION DATA ON THE 24TH WAS
UNAVAILABLE AT BOTH HOULTON AND MILLINOCKET DUE TO EQUIPMENT
ISSUES.

SNOWFALL WAS ABOVE AVERAGE IN CARIBOU WITH A TOTAL OF 29.8 INCHES
FOR THE MONTH, WHICH WAS 8.4 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. IN BANGOR, A
TOTAL OF 9.5 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 5.7 INCHES
BELOW AVERAGE. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON
THE 23RD INTO THE 24TH WHEN SOME LOCATIONS IN EASTERN AROOSTOOK
COUNTY SOUTH AND EAST OF CARIBOU OBSERVED 20 TO 25 INCHES OF SNOW.
THERE WERE ALSO 20 INCH+ TOTALS OBSERVED IN PARTS OF PISCATAQUIS
AND NORTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY.

AT THE START OF THE MONTH, THE SNOW DEPTH ACROSS THE REGION
RANGED FROM ZERO TO AN INCH IN BANGOR AND ALONG THE COAST. ACROSS
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE REGION, THE SNOW DEPTH RANGED
FROM 2 TO 8 INCHES, BUT WITH LOCALLY A FOOT OR MORE ACROSS THE
HIGHEST TERRAIN. AT THE END OF THE MONTH, THERE WAS NO SNOW ALONG
THE COAST AND IN BANGOR, 2 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS MUCH OF THE CENTRAL
PORTION OF THE AREA AS WELL AS NORTH INTO CARIBOU AND THE EASTERN
SAINT JOHN VALLEY, AND FROM 10 TO 20 INCHES ACROSS THE HIGHER
ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTH WOODS.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER`S FORECAST FOR APRIL 2024 INDICATES
THAT THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD ABOVE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES. THE ODDS ARE ALSO SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD BELOW
AVERAGE PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS. THERE ARE NO STRONG
CLIMATE SIGNAL THAT IT WILL BE UNUSUAL WET OR DRY ALONG THE COAST.

DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ACROSS
NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE UNDERGO THE LARGEST RISE OF ANY MONTH
OF THE YEAR. AT THE START OF THE MONTH, THE AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE
FROM THE UPPER 30S ACROSS THE FAR NORTH TO THE MID 40S ALONG THE
COAST. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE FROM THE
MID 50S NORTH TO NEAR 60F IN BANGOR, BUT COOLER ALONG THE
IMMEDIATE COAST OWING TO THE COLD OCEAN WATER TEMPERATURES.

ON AVERAGE 3 TO 3.75 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION IS OBSERVED.
SNOWFALL AVERAGES 3.7 INCHES IN BANGOR AND 8.3 INCHES IN CARIBOU.
IN MOST YEARS THE SNOW PACK MELTS OUT DURING THE FIRST HALF OF
APRIL, BUT SNOW MAY REMAIN ON THE GROUND IN WOODED AREAS FOR A
COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER THE SNOW HAS MELTED OUT OF IN NORTHERN TOWNS
AND OPEN FIELDS. THUNDERSTORM REMAIN A FAIRLY RARE OCCURRENCE
BEING OBSERVED ON AVERAGE OF ABOUT ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS.

$$

CB/VJN