Climatological Report (Seasonal)
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME

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CXUS51 KCAR 052356
CLSCAR

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
714 PM EST SUN MAR 03 2024

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

...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE SEASON, FROM
12/1/2023 TO 2/29/2024...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1939 TO 2024

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART   LAST YEAR`S
                VALUE   DATE(S)   VALUE   FROM     VALUE DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             60   12/01/2020
 LOW             -41   02/01/1955
HIGHEST           58   12/18         MM      MM       47  12/03
                                                          12/07
                                                          02/16
LOWEST           -12   01/31         MM      MM      -22  02/01
AVG. MAXIMUM    30.2               24.1     6.1     27.7
AVG. MINIMUM    13.3                6.4     6.9     10.8
MEAN            21.7               15.3     6.4     19.2
DAYS MAX >= 90     0                0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32    57               68.7   -11.7       64
DAYS MIN <= 32    87               87.9    -0.9       87
DAYS MIN <= 0     10               33.8   -23.8       21

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM       12.62   2008
 MINIMUM        2.38   1944
TOTALS          7.01               8.97   -1.96    12.03
DAILY AVG.      0.07                NAN     NAN     0.13
DAYS >= .01       27               41.0   -14.0       51
DAYS >= .10       18               20.3    -2.3       18
DAYS >= .50        5                5.9    -0.9       10
DAYS >= 1.00       1                1.0     0.0        4
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL   1.75   12/10 TO 12/11               1.93  01/12 TO 01/13

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL         128.7   2008
TOTALS          46.1               75.5   -29.4     85.8
SINCE 7/1       57.0               87.7   -30.7       MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG.     5                                  13
DAYS >= 1.0       13               18.7    -5.7       MM
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH       15   02/02                          26  01/31
 24 HR TOTAL      MM    MM                          19.7

DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL   3909               4471    -562     4080
 SINCE 7/1      5593               6554    -961       MM
COOLING TOTAL      0                  0       0        0
 SINCE 1/1         0                  0       0       MM
................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              7.3
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    36/160    DATE  12/18
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    54/170    DATE  12/18

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.60
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           27
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             27
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         37

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     73

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                2     RAIN                       5
LIGHT RAIN               16     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          6     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                4     SNOW                       9
LIGHT SNOW               64     SLEET                      1
FOG                      44     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      7
HAZE                      8

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
*  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
...NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE WINTER 2023-2024 CLIMATE SUMMARY...

METEOROLOGICAL WINTER (DECEMBER THROUGH FEBRUARY) FINISHED WITH WELL
ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE AVERAGE DOWNEAST
AND ACROSS THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AND BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS NORTHERN
AREAS. SNOWFALL WAS BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION.

IT WAS THE WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD IN CARIBOU, HOULTON, AND
MILLINOCKET, AND RANKED AS THE 3RD WARMEST WINTER ON RECORD IN
BANGOR. UNOFFICIALLY, THE WINTER OF 2015/16 WAS WARMER THAN 2023/
2024 AT BOTH HOULTON AND MILLINOCKET BY ABOUT 1.5 DEGREES F, BUT
BOTH CLIMATE RECORDS DURING THE 2015/16 WINTER HAD MISSING LOW/
HIGH TEMPERATURE DATA.

SNOWFALL WAS WELL BELOW AVERAGE WITH A 3-MONTH TOTAL OF 26" IN
BANGOR WHICH MADE IT THE 6TH LEAST SNOWY WINTER ON RECORD. IN
CARIBOU, 46.1" OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED DURING THE 3-MONTH PERIOD MAKING
IT THE 8TH LEAST SNOWY METEOROLOGICAL WINTER ON RECORD.

DECEMBER 2023 FOR THE REGION AS A WHOLE FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND PRECIPITATION, BUT WELL BELOW AVERAGE
SNOWFALL AND SNOW DEPTH.  IT WAS THE 2ND WARMEST DECEMBER ON RECORD
FOR CARIBOU AND HOULTON, A TIE FOR 3RD WARMEST FOR MILLINOCKET, AND
4TH WARMEST FOR BANGOR.

TWO EVENTS COMPOSED THE MAJORITY OF PRECIPITATION FOR DECEMBER WITH
THE FIRST ON THE 10-11TH AND THE SECOND ON THE 18TH WHERE 1.50-2.50
INCHES OCCURRED WITH EACH EVENT AT THE CLIMATE SITES, MOSTLY OR
ENTIRELY IN THE FORM OF RAIN. OF SPECIAL NOTE WAS THE HEAVY
RAIN/HIGH WIND EVENT OF THE 18TH. IN ADDITION TO HEAVY RAINFALL AT
THE CLIMATE SITES, FLOODING RAINFALL TOTALS UPWARDS OF 5 INCHES OVER
THE CENTRAL MAINE HIGHLANDS RESULTED IN SIGNIFICANT RIVER FLOODING
OVER THE PISCATAQUIS AND PENOBSCOT RIVER VALLEYS. THIS EVENT WAS
ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS, RESULTING IN NUMEROUS
DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES AND OVER 90,000 POWER OUTAGES.

JANUARY 2024 FOR THE REGION AS A WHOLE FINISHED WITH ABOVE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION WAS MOSTLY BELOW AVERAGE, EXCEPT
SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE ALONG THE COAST. SNOWFALL WAS NEAR AVERAGE
ACROSS THE REGION. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENTS OF THE MONTH OCCURRED
ON THE 10TH AND 13TH WHEN SIGNIFICANT COASTAL FLOODING WAS OBSERVED
ALONG THE WASHINGTON AND HANCOCK COUNTY COASTS. ALTHOUGH THE
OBSERVED WATER LEVELS WERE HIGHER ON THE 13TH, HIGHER WAVE HEIGHTS
AND MORE SIGNIFICANT WAVE RUN UP LED TO MORE WIDESPREAD AND
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING ON THE 10TH.

FEBRUARY 2024 FOR THE REGION AS A WHOLE FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE
AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL WERE BOTH WELL
BELOW AVERAGE. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA RANGED FROM 5.5 TO 7.5
DEGREES (F) ABOVE 1991-2020 NORMALS. IT RANKED AS THE 5TH WARMEST
FEBRUARY ON RECORD AT BOTH CARIBOU AND HOULTON, THE 4TH WARMEST IN
MILLINOCKET, AND THE 9TH WARMEST IN BANGOR. SNOWFALL WAS WELL BELOW
AVERAGE ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. IN FACT, IT WAS THE 2ND LEAST
SNOWY FEBRUARY ON RECORD IN BANGOR WITH ONLY 1.2 INCHES OF SNOW. THE
ONLY YEAR ON RECORD WITH LESS SNOWFALL IN FEBRUARY WAS IN 1998 WHEN
AN INCH WAS OBSERVED. IN CARIBOU, ONLY 8.7 INCHES OF SNOW WAS
OBSERVED WHICH MADE IT THE 7TH LEAST SNOWY FEBRUARY ON RECORD.

A WARM-UP AND RAIN AT THE END OF THE MONTH WIPED OUT SO MUCH OF THE
SNOWPACK ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS AND THE SNOWMOBILE TRAILS BECAME POOR
AND IN MOST AREAS THE SNOWMOBILE SEASON ENDED. THE LACK OF SNOW HAD
SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS FOR WINTER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES CAUSING
MANY TO BE POSTPONED OR CANCELLED.

$$

CB/VJN


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