535
CXUS51 KCAR 080155
CLSCAR

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
830 PM EST MON DEC 07 2020

...FALL 2020 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE...

METEOROLOGICAL FALL (SEPTEMBER THROUGH NOVEMBER) 2020 FEATURED
ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW AVERAGE DOWNEAST
AND INTO SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY WITH ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
ACROSS THE FAR NORTH.

FOR THE 3-MONTH PERIOD, TEMPERATURES AVERAGED FROM 1 TO 3 DEGREES
ABOVE THE 30-YEAR AVERAGE, EXCEPT ACROSS NORTHWEST MAINE WHERE
TEMPERATURES AVERAGED NEAR AVERAGE. CARIBOU WAS THE ONLY LONG TERM
CLIMATE SITE TO OBSERVE A TOP 10 WARMEST FALL WHERE IT RANKED AS
THE 7TH WARMEST ON RECORD.

PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 60 TO 90 PERCENT OF AVERAGE DOWNEAST
AND NORTH INTO SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AND FROM 100 TO 130
PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE FAR NORTH.

SEPTEMBER CONTINUED THE SUMMER TREND OF VERY DRY CONDITIONS. ONLY
5 TO 40 PERCENT OF THE NORMAL PRECIPITATION WAS OBSERVED. JUST
0.28 INCHES OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED IN BANGOR, WHICH EASILY MADE IT
THE DRIEST SEPTEMBER ON RECORD. IT WAS ALSO THE DRIEST SEPTEMBER
ON RECORD IN HOULTON, THE 2ND DRIEST IN CARIBOU, AND 3RD DRIEST IN
MILLINOCKET. MANY RIVERS REACHED ALL-TIME RECORD LOW FLOW LEVELS
AS DROUGHT CONDITIONS INTENSIFIED WITH SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT
ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION.

FORTUNES CHANGED IN OCTOBER IN REGARDS TO PRECIPITATION. AFTER
FIVE CONSECUTIVE DRY MONTHS, RAINFALL RANGED FROM 100 TO 130
PERCENT OF NORMAL DOWNEAST, 130 TO 160 PERCENT OF NORMAL OVER
CENTRAL AREAS, AND FROM 160 TO 220 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE
NORTH AND CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. BY MONTHS END, 7.21 INCHES OF RAIN
WAS OBSERVED IN CARIBOU MAKING IT THE 3RD WETTEST ON RECORD. THE
SEASONS FIRST SNOWFALL OCCURRED ON THE 26TH ACROSS THE NORTH WITH
1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW, EXCEPT AS MUCH AS 6 TO 10 INCHES IN
NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE FAR NORTH
WAS REMOVED FROM DROUGHT, AND MODERATE DROUGHT REMAINED ACROSS
MOST OF THE REGION. THE ONLY EXCEPTION WAS IN SOUTHERN HANCOCK
COUNTY WHICH REMAINED IN SEVERE DROUGHT.

THE BIG STORY IN NOVEMBER WAS THE RECORD WARMTH ON NOVEMBER 9TH
THROUGH THE 12TH, WHICH WAS PUNCTUATED BY ALL-TIME RECORD
NOVEMBER TEMPERATURES ON THE 10TH. CARIBOU OBSERVED A HIGH OF 75
DEGREES (F), WHICH SMASHED THE PREVIOUS MONTHLY RECORD OF 68F.
HOULTON ALSO HAD AN ALL-TIME MONTHLY HIGH OF 73F, AND EVEN MORE
IMPRESSIVELY MILLINOCKET HAD AN ALL-TIME MONTHLY HIGH OF 74
DEGREES, WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS RECORD THAT DATED ALL THE WAY
BACK TO 1903. PRECIPITATION WAS MORE VARIABLE RANGING FROM 70 TO
140 PERCENT OF NORMAL, BUT WAS ENOUGH TO FURTHER IMPROVE THE
DROUGHT CONDITIONS. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, ONLY COASTAL HANCOCK
REMAINED IN SEVERE DROUGHT, WITH MODERATE DROUGHT NORTH INTO
CENTRAL HANCOCK AND CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTIES. SNOWFALL WAS
ABOVE AVERAGE IN THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY, BELOW AVERAGE IN CARIBOU,
AND NEAR AVERAGE IN BANGOR.

$$

CB/VJN