August 2016 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...August 2016 Northern and Eastern Maine Monthly Climate Narrative...

August 2016 ended with above average temperatures.  Rainfall was much more variable and ranged from more than 150 percent of normal across parts of eastern Aroostook County and from 50 to 100 percent of normal across parts of the Down East Region and western Saint John Valley.

Temperatures generally averaged 1.5 to 3.5 degrees above average across the region.  It ranked as the 4th warmest August on record at Bangor, and the 6th  warmest at Caribou. Despite it being such a warm month it was not as warm as August 2015 which was the warmest on record at Caribou.

There were 13 days with a high of 80 degrees or warmer at Caribou, which was well above the long term average of 7.  At Bangor, there were 23 days with a high of 80 degrees or warmer, which tied with 1996 for the most on record during the month of August.

A total of 5.89 inches of rain was observed at Caribou, which was 2.13" above average, and made it the 11th wettest August on record. At Bangor on the other hand only 2.24" of rain was observed, which made it the driest August since 2010.

Severe thunderstorms were limited to August 6th and August 11th. A thunderstorm affected the Caribou early in the morning of the 11th with 1.5" diameter hail which caused damage to vehicles and roofs in the area.

The outlook from the Climate Prediction Center for September calls for an increased likelihood of above average temperatures.  Above average rainfall is favored for the Down East Region, but there are no strong climate signals that would point toward an unsually wet or dry month across northern Maine.

During the month of September the average high at Caribou (Bangor) starts at 71F (75F) and drops to 60F (64F) degrees by the end of the month. The average low falls from 49F (53F) on the 1st of the month to 40F (42F) by months end.  September is the most likely time of the year for the region to be affected by a tropical or ex-tropical system.  Over an hour and a half of available daylight is lost during the month.