Sunday, January 06, 2013

2012 2nd warmest year on record at Caribou Maine

2012 ended up as the 2nd warmest year on record at Caribou. This is somewhat deceptive as weather records began in 1939 and therefore did not include the entire warm decade of the 1930s. If one is to look at Bangor where weather records include the entire decade of the 1930s this past year ranked as only the 10th warmest on record. Seven of the top 10 warmest years on record at Bangor were in the 1930s. If we had a longer period of record at Caribou it is quite possible that 2012 would have ranked much further down on the list. At Houlton, 2012 ranked as the 4th warmest on record. Weather records at Houlton began in 1949, so once again they did not include the warm decade of the 1930s.

2012 was the warmest year on record for twenty-three of the thirty-five major climate sites in the Northeast. Burlington, VT, had the greatest departure above their old record. The city reported an annual temperature of 50.0°, beating their old record, set in 1998, by 1.6°. Of the sites that broke the record, Scranton, PA, and Williamsport, PA, had the longest-standing record. Scranton was 0.7° warmer in 2012 and Williamsport was 0.1° warmer in 2012 than the previous warmest year, 1921. Syracuse, NY, broke an old record by a fair amount with 2012 coming in 1.1° warmer than the previous warmest year, 1931.

Caribou Maine December 2012 Climate Summary

000
CXUS51 KCAR 061811 CCB
CLMCAR

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU, ME
104 PM EST THU JAN 3 2013

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

...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1939 TO 2013

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH              58   12/12/1950
                        12/05/1950
LOW              -31   12/30/1989
HIGHEST            50   12/05        MM      MM       47  12/05
LOWEST             -6   12/16        MM      MM      -11  12/25
                                                          12/24
AVG. MAXIMUM     29.3              26.2     3.1     30.6
AVG. MINIMUM     13.5              10.3     3.2     14.4
MEAN             21.4              18.2     3.2     22.5
DAYS MAX >= 90      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MAX <= 32     19              21.2    -2.2       17
DAYS MIN <= 32     31              29.9     1.1       30
DAYS MIN <= 0       2               7.4    -5.4        4

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM         7.97   1973
MINIMUM         0.74   1963
TOTALS           3.07                     -0.20
DAILY AVG.       0.10              0.11   -0.01     0.11
DAYS >= .01        17              14.3     2.7       16
DAYS >= .10         7               7.4    -0.4        8
DAYS >= .50         2               2.1    -0.1        2
DAYS >= 1.00        0               0.4    -0.4        0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL    0.93   12/18 TO 12/19           12/15 TO 12/16
                                                          12/16 TO 12/16
                                                          12/16 TO 12/16

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL           59.9   1972
TOTALS           26.9              22.9     4.0     17.0
SINCE 7/1        28.5              35.1    -6.6     20.1
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      4                 7      -3        2
DAYS >= 1.0         7               5.8     1.2        3
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH        12   12/21                          6  12/09
                        12/20                             12/08
24 HR TOTAL      6.6   MM                       12/16 TO 12/16
                                                          12/16 TO 12/16
                                                          12/16 TO 12/16

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL    1347              1449    -102     1312
SINCE 7/1       3179              3594    -415     2925
COOLING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
SINCE 1/1        279               180      99      175
.......................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              7.8
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    32/310    DATE  12/30
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    45/310    DATE  12/30

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.70
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR            7
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             11
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY         13

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     80

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                0     RAIN                       0
LIGHT RAIN                7     FREEZING RAIN              1
LT FREEZING RAIN          4     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       6
LIGHT SNOW               21     SLEET                      0
FOG                      23     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      2
HAZE                      7

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

$$

AREA MONTHLY CLIMATE NARRATIVE

DECEMBER 2012 WENT DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS WITH ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE NORMAL SNOWFALL.

TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM ABOUT A HALF TO 2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL
ACROSS DOWNEAST AREAS AND 2 TO 3 1/2 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS
CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE REGION.  AT CARIBOU 19 OF THE
PAST 20 MONTHS HAVE FEATURED ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES.  THE AVERAGE
MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 21.4 DEGREES AT CARIBOU WAS 3.2 DEGREES ABOVE
NORMAL.  DESPITE TEMPERATURES ENDING UP ABOVE NORMAL IT WAS THE
COLDEST DECEMBER AT CARIBOU SINCE 2009.  TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM A
LOW OF 6 BELOW ON THE 16TH TO A HIGH OF 50 DEGREES ON THE 5TH. THERE
WERE A TOTAL OF 8 DAYS THIS PAST DECEMBER WHEN THE DAILY AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE WAS MORE THAN 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...AND ONLY 2 DAYS
WHEN THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE WAS 10 DEGREES OR MORE BELOW
NORMAL.  AT BANGOR...THE AVERAGE MONTHLY TEMPERATURE OF 26.7 DEGREES
WAS 2.1 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.  TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM A LOW OF 1
DEGREE ON THE 29TH TO A HIGH OF 50 DEGREES ON THE 5TH.  THERE WERE A
TOTAL OF 5 DAYS WHEN THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE WAS MORE THAN 10
DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL...AND 2 DAYS WHEN THE AVERAGE DAILY TEMPERATURE
WAS MORE THAN 10 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.  THERE WERE NO NEW
TEMPERATURE RECORDS ESTABLISHED AT CARIBOU OR BANGOR THIS PAST
DECEMBER.  TEMPERATURES AT MILLINOCKET AND HOULTON AVERAGED 3.3 AND
2.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL RESPECTIVELY.

AS IS USUALLY THE CASE PRECIPITATION WAS MORE VARIABLE ACROSS THE
REGION...BUT MOST OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE REGION HAD
NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION.  AT CARIBOU...A TOTAL OF 3.07 INCHES OF
LIQUID PRECIPITATION FELL WHICH INCLUDED 26.9 INCHES OF SNOW.  THE
TOTAL LIQUID PRECIPITATION WAS JUST TWO TENTHS OF AN INCH BELOW
NORMAL...BUT THE TOTAL SNOWFALL WAS 3 1/2 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL AND
MADE IT THE SNOWIEST DECEMBER SINCE 2009.  AT BANGOR...A TOTAL OF
3.59 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) WAS OBSERVED WHICH WAS JUST 11
HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH ABOVE NORMAL.  A TOTAL OF 17.6 INCHES OF SNOW
WAS OBSERVED...WHICH WAS 3.4 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL...AND WAS MUCH
SNOWIER THAN LAST DECEMBER WHEN ONLY 8.8 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED
FOR THE ENTIRE MONTH.

PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL WAS BELOW NORMAL FOR MANY AREAS ALONG THE
COAST UNTIL A STORM ON THE 29TH INTO THE 30TH PRODUCED HEAVY
SNOWFALL.  MANY AREAS HAD WELL IN EXCESS OF A FOOT OF SNOW...AND
GOULDSBORO IN HANCOCK COUNTY AND THE AREA AROUND MACHIAS IN
WASHINGTON COUNTY OBSERVED 20 INCHES OF SNOW FROM THE STORM.

DUE TO A SLOW SNOWFALL START THIS MONTH...AREA SNOW DEPTH FOR THE
MONTH AS A WHOLE WAS ONLY 50 TO 60 PERCENT OF AVERAGE...BUT IN
ACTUALITY...CAUGHT UP TO NEAR NORMAL VALUES BY THE END OF THE MONTH
AFTER A SERIES OF THREE SNOW STORMS AFFECTED THE REGION DURING THE
SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH. THIS ALLOWED A FASTER START TO THE SKI AND
SNOW MOBILE SEASON FOR MUCH OF REGION THIS WINTER THAN THE PRIOR 2
OR 3 WINTERS.

THE OUTLOOK FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FOR JANUARY INDICATES
AN INCREASED LIKELIHOOD OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES.  THERE
ARE NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT POINT TOWARD EITHER ABOVE OR
BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION.

$$

CB/VJN

New Year's Week Cold Wave Day Four

01/05/2013

Selected sites with a minium temperature of 0°F/-18°C, or lower.


New Brunswick

Edmundston

Max: -8.1°C
Min: -28.8°C

Miramichi

Max: -7.1°C
Min: -18.3°C

Fredericton Int'l Airport

Max: -2.7°C
Min: -20.2°C

St. Stephen

Max: -0.5°C
Min: -20.3°C

Saint John Airport

Max: -1.4°C
Min: -19.6°C

Maine

Caribou

Max: 23°F/-5°C
Min: -2°F/-18.9°C

Houlton

Max: 27°F/-2.8°C
Min: -9°F/-22.8°C