December 2016 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...DECEMBER 2016 NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE CLIMATE NARRATIVE...

DECEMBER 2016 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND
ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION...AND SNOWFALL.

TEMPERATURES AVERAGED FROM 1 TO 3 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS
NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.  AT CARIBOU, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF
16.6 DEGREES WAS 1.6 DEGREES BELOW THE 30-YEAR (1981-2010) AVERAGE,
AND IT WAS THE COLDEST DECEMBER SINCE 2013. AT BANGOR, THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE OF 22.3 DEGREES WAS 2.3 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE, AND WAS
ALSO THE COLDEST DECEMBER SINCE 2013.

THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 9 NIGHTS WITH A LOW TEMPERATURE BELOW ZERO AT
CARIBOU, WHICH WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE LONG TERM AVERAGE OF 7.  AT
BANGOR, THERE WERE 5 NIGHTS WITH A LOW TEMPERATURE BELOW ZERO, WHICH
WAS ABOVE THE AVERAGE OF 5, AND THE MOST SUB-ZERO LOWS DURING THE
MONTH OF DECEMBER SINCE 1993 WHEN THERE WERE ALSO 5 NIGHTS WITH A
SUB-ZERO LOW.

SNOWFALL WAS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE.  AT CARIBOU, THERE WAS A TOTAL OF
41.2 INCHES OF SNOW WHICH WAS 18.3 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE, AND IT
RANKED AS THE 7TH SNOWIEST DECEMBER ON RECORD AT CARIBOU.  IT ALSO
JOINED THE 40+ INCH CLUB.  OVER THE YEARS, THERE HAVE ONLY BEEN 19
MONTHS WITH 40 INCHES OR MORE OF SNOW. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 20 DAYS
WITH MEASURABLE SNOWFALL AT CARIBOU, WHICH WAS THE 2ND MOST ON
RECORD BEHIND ONLY 2013 WHEN THERE WERE 23 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
SNOWFALL.  THIS WAS WELL ABOVE THE LONG TERM AVERAGE OF 12 DAYS.

AT BANGOR, THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 18.4 INCHES OF SNOW, WHICH WAS 4
INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 7 DAYS WITH MEASURABLE
SNOWFALL, WHICH WAS CLOSE TO THE LONG TERM AVERAGE OF 6.

TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH RANGED FROM 100 TO 150 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE ACROSS THE REGION, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF PORTIONS OF
WASHINGTON COUNTY WHERE PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 75 TO 100 PERCENT
OF NORMAL.

SNOW DEPTH AT THE END OF DECEMBER RANGED FROM 20 TO 30 INCHES ACROSS
FAR NORTHERN MAINE AND THE NORTH WOODS WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS
LIKELY ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN, 10 TO 20 INCHES ACROSS MOST OF
CENTRAL MAINE, AND GENERALLY FROM 1 TO 5 INCHES ACROSS THE DOWN EAST
REGION.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER OUTLOOK FOR JANUARY CALLS FOR SLIGHTLY
GREATER PROBABILITIES FROM CLIMATOLOGY OF ABOVE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES.  THERE ARE NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT WOULD POINT
TOWARD AN UNUSUALLY WET (SNOWY) OR DRY MONTH.  ON AVERAGE, SNOWFALL
DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY RANGES FROM AROUND 2 FEET ACROSS THE
CROWN OF MAINE, WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN,
AND AROUND 1 1/2 FEET ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION.

TEMPERATURES REACH THEIR ANNUAL AVERAGE LOWS DURING THE MONTH OF
JANUARY WITH HIGHS IN THE TEENS ACROSS THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY TO THE
UPPER 20S IN THE BANGOR REGION.  AVERAGE LOWS BOTTOM OUT JUST BELOW
ZERO IN THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY TO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO ACROSS
THE DOWN EAST REGION.  THERE IS A GAIN OF ABOUT 1 HOUR OF AVAILABLE
DAYLIGHT DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY.