April 2013 Climate Summary for northern and eastern Maine

NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE MONTHLY CLIMATE
NARRATIVE:

APRIL 2013 GOT OFF TO A COLD START AT BOTH CARIBOU AND BANGOR.
DURING THE FIRST TWO WEEKS OF THE MONTH IT WAS THE COLDEST START TO
APRIL SINCE 2007. APRIL 6TH WAS AN UNUSUALLY COLD DAY AT CARIBOU
WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 30 DEGREES. IT WAS THE LATEST DATE
WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE BELOW THE FREEZING MARK IN TEN YEARS. ON
AVERAGE THE LAST DATE WITH A HIGH TEMPERATURE BELOW FREEZING OCCURS
IN LATE MARCH. TEMPERATURES MODERATED SIGNIFICANTLY LATE IN THE
MONTH...AND IN MOST AREAS THE WARMER WEATHER LATE IN THE MONTH MADE
UP FOR THE COLD START. BY THE END OF THE MONTH...THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE AT CARIBOU OF 38.6 DEGREES WAS EXACTLY NORMAL. AT
BANGOR...THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 41 DEGREES WAS 1.5
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE
TEMPERATURES AVERAGED FROM 2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL TO AROUND 1 DEGREE
ABOVE NORMAL.

TEMPERATURES THIS PAST APRIL AT CARIBOU RANGED FROM A LOW OF 11
DEGREES AT CARIBOU ON THE MORNING OF THE 3RD TO A HIGH OF 73 DEGREES
ON THE 30TH. AT BANGOR...TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM A LOW OF 20
DEGREES ON THE 7TH TO A HIGH OF 69 ON THE 30TH. TEMPERATURES IN MANY
OF THE NORMALLY COLDER VALLEYS DROPPED INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ON THE
MORNING OF THE 3RD.

APRIL WAS A VERY DRY MONTH WITH PRECIPITATION IN MOST AREAS ONLY 40
TO 70 PERCENT OF NORMAL. THE ONLY EXCEPTION WAS ACROSS PARTS OF
WASHINGTON COUNTY WHERE PRECIPITATION WAS CLOSE TO NORMAL DUE TO A
HEAVY RAIN EVENT ON THE 23RD INTO THE 24TH THAT PRODUCED UP TO 2
INCHES OF RAIN. AT BANGOR A TOTAL OF 1.77 INCHES OF RAIN (AND
MELTED SNOW AS OBSERVED) THIS APRIL WHICH WAS ONLY 49 PERCENT OF
NORMAL...AND MADE IT THE DRIEST APRIL SINCE 2001. AT CARIBOU A
TOTAL OF 1.40 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) WAS OBSERVED WHICH
WAS 53 PERCENT OF NORMAL...AND ALSO MADE IT THE DRIEST APRIL SINCE
2001.

SNOWFALL WAS ALSO BELOW NORMAL IN APRIL. MOST OF THE SNOW WAS
OBSERVED ON THE 12TH INTO THE 13TH WHEN 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW FELL
ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHERN MAINE. A TOTAL OF 4.3 INCHES OF SNOW WAS
OBSERVED AT CARIBOU THIS PAST APRIL WHICH WAS 3.1 INCHES BELOW
NORMAL. AT BANGOR A TOTAL OF 1.1 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED WHICH
WAS 2.6 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.

ALTHOUGH THERE WAS ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND AT THE START
OF THE MONTH AT CARIBOU...THERE WAS STILL SIGNIFICANT SNOW IN THE
NORTH MAINE WOODS WITH 23 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND AT
WINTERVILLE ON THE 1ST. BY THE END OF THE MONTH...ONLY THE HIGHEST
ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTHERN MAINE WOODS STILL HAD ANY SNOW REMAINING
ON THE GROUND. TWELVE INCHES OF SNOW WAS REPORTED AT BALD MOUNTAIN
AS OF THE 24TH...BUT MOST OF THIS SNOW LIKELY MELTED BY MONTHS END
DUE TO THE WARM WEATHER.

THE OUTLOOK FOR MAY FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICATION CENTER CALLS FOR AN
INCREASED CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE NO STRONG
CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT TILT THE ODDS IN FAVOR OF EITHER AN UNUSUALLY
DRY OR WET MAY. AT CARIBOU (BANGOR) THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE
ON THE 1ST IS 56 (60) AND BY THE END OF THE MONTH RISES TO 68 (70).
THE AVERAGE LOWS WARM FROM 36 TO 45 AT CARIBOU AND FROM 38 TO 47 AT
BANGOR. AVERAGE PRECIPITATION OF 3.33 INCHES AT CARIBOU WHICH
INCLUDES 0.5 INCHES OF SNOW...AND 3.64 INCHES AT BANGOR.

ON AVERAGE THE LAST 32 DEGREE TEMPERATURE OF THE SPRING OCCURS
ON MAY 15TH AT CARIBOU AND MAY 7TH AT BANGOR...ALTHOUGH MANY
OUTLYING AREAS AND SHELTERED VALLEYS ACROSS NORTHERN MAINE MAY
EXPERIENCE A FROST INTO EARLY JUNE.


$$

CB/VJN