August 2015 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...August 2015 Northern And Eastern Maine Climate Narrative...

August 2015 will be remembered for significantly above average temperatures and mostly slightly above average rainfall.

For sure, temperatures set this month apart, with August 2015 reversing the cool trend set in this past June and July. Temperatures averaged from 2.0 to 3.0 degrees above average along the Down East coast to 3.0 to 4.5 degrees above average over the rest of the region. At Caribou, this August, which averaged 4.6 degrees above average, set a new mark for the warmest August on record (the 12th warmest month overall since records began in 1939), with the average of 68.2 degrees 0.2 degrees above the prior mark set only 3 years ago in August 2012. At Bangor where records began in 1925, It was only the 11th warmest August with many of the Augusts in the 1930s warmer.

Believe it or not, the first half of the month began near normal, then a 10 day warm spell brought monthly temperature departures steadily upwards. At Caribou, the 10 day stretch of 80+ degree high temperatures extending from the 14th through the 23rd was the longest such period since records began in 1939. Similar to the prior warmest August in 2012 at Caribou, no 90 degree high Temperatures were recorded in reaching the new record August, with the warmest day of 88 degrees recorded on the 18th. Only one 90 degree high temperature was recorded at Bangor, also on the 18th. Temperatures mostly remained above average after the 23rd throughout The rest of the month.

Significant rain days across portions of the region occurred on the 3rd...11th...21st and 26th with the heaviest climate station monthly totals in central portions of the region, as evident by the 5.88 Total at Millinocket which is nearly 140 percent of average. Some spotter locations across the southeast third of Washington County
received upwards of 8.00 to 9.00 inches (about 250 percent of monthly average rainfall) in one morning on the 26th, resulting in flooded areas. The lowest totals where over western Down East areas,  as evident by the 2.63 inch total at Bangor which was just under 90 percent of average for the month.