April 2015 Climate Summary for northern and eastern Maine

...Northern and eastern Maine monthly area climate narrative...

April 2015 featured below normal temperatures and below normal
liquid precipitation. Temperatures averaged 1 to 3 degrees below
normal. Snowfall was close to normal in most of northern and eastern
Maine.

At Caribou, the average temperature of 36.6 degrees was 2 degrees
below the 1981-2010 normals. It was the coolest April since 2007. It
was also the 4th month in a row with below average temperatures.
There were a total of 18 nights when the low temperature dropped to
freezing or lower, which compares to an average of 20.

At Bangor, the  average temperature of 40.7 degrees was 1.8 degrees
below normal.  It was also the coolest April at Bangor since 2007.
There were a total of 16 nights when the low temperature dropped to
freezing or lower, which compares to an average of 14.

A total of 2.35 inches of precipitation (rain and melted snow) was
observed at Caribou, which  was 31 hundredths (0.31") of an inch
below normal.  A total of 8.6 inches of snow as observed, which  was
1.2 inches above normal.  At Bangor, a total of 2.39 inches of
precipitation was observed, which  was 1.23 inches below normal.  A
total of 6.3 inches of snow was observed, which  was 2.6 inches
above normal.  It was the snowiest April at Bangor since 2011.

The month began on a cold note across all of northern and eastern
Maine with below to well below normal temperatures during the first
10 days of the month.  The low temperature at Caribou of 4 below on
the morning of the 6th was an all-time record low for the entire
month of April, surpassing the previous record low of 2 below on
April 2, 1964.  The low temperature of 20 below at Big Black River
may have unofficially been an all-time record low for the state of
Maine for the month of April.

At the start of the month the snowpack was still around a foot from
Caribou north through the Saint John Valley, and from 1 to 2 feet across
most of central and Downeast Maine, with locally higher amounts in
Parts of Washington county.  By the end of the month, most  of the
snow had melted away. There were still some spots in the North Maine
Woods and and across Washington County that had several inches of
snow in shaded wooded areas.

April featured below normal liquid precipitation across most of
northern and eastern Maine that ranged from 60 to 90 percent of
normal.  There was a small area across eastern Washington County
where precipitation was slightly above normal. Snowfall was near to
slightly above normal in most areas.

The outlook from the Climate Predication Center
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/ for May indicates an increased
likelihood of above normal temperatures. There are no strong climate
signals that would point toward an unusually wet or dry month.
Average temperatures rise rapidly in May with the increasing sun
angle and day length. The average high at Caribou rises from 56F on
The 1st to 68F on the 31st. The average low temperature rises from
36F on the 1st to 45F by months end.  At Bangor, the  average high
climbs from 60F at the start of the month to 70F on the 31st. The
average low rises from 38F at the start of the month to 47F by
months end. The amount of available daylight increases over an hour
during the course of the month.