May 2020 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...MAY 2020 NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE MONTHLY CLIMATE NARRATIVE...

MAY 2020 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR CONTAINING WEATHER REPRESENTING ALL
FOUR SEASONS WITHIN ONE MONTH FINISHING WITH NEAR NORMAL
TEMPERATURES FOR THE MONTH BUT BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.

FINISHING NEAR AVERAGE FOR THIS MONTH REALLY MEANT AN AVERAGE OF
EXTREME COLD AND WARM PERIODS. THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WAS QUITE
CHILLY AVERAGING ABOUT 6 DEGREES F BELOW DAILY SEASONAL NORMS. IN
PARTICULAR, THE 5TH THROUGH 13TH FEATURED THREE SERIES OF COLD DAYS
WITH TWO DAYS, THE 9TH AND 12TH THE STANDOUT DAYS. TEMPERATURES ON
THE 9TH STRUGGLED TO GET ABOVE FREEZING ACROSS NORTHERN AND EAST
CENTRAL AREAS IN THE MIDST OF A MAJOR LATE SEASON NOREASTER SNOW
STORM THAT RESULTED FROM 5 TO 15 INCHES OVER THESE AREAS, WITH
HEAVIEST TOTALS NEAR THE NEW BRUNSWICK BORDER FROM DANFORTH TO
WESTFIELD. AFTER A BRIEF BREAK ON THE 11TH, A LAST SURGE OF VERY
LATE SEASON ARCTIC AIR ON THE 12TH RESUTED IN FALLING MORNING TEMPS
ACROSS THE REGION, WITH READINGS AS LOW AS THE UPPER 20S IN THE
EARLY AFTERNOON ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS ACCOMPANIED BY INTERTMITTENT
LIGHT SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN.

A SHORT NEAR AVERAGE TEMPERATURE SEMI-SPRING LIKE PERIOD WITH VERY
COOL NIGHTS FOLLOWED FROM THE 16 THROUGH 19TH, WITH ABOUT A 10 DAY
DELAYED BUDDING OF TREES NOTED. AFTERWARDS, THE 20TH THROUGH 30TH
MARKED A COMPLETE REVERSAL OF THE WEATHER PATTERN OF THE FIRST HALF
OF THE MONTH. THE FIRST WARM PERIOD ARRIVING ON THE 20TH THROUGH
22ND WAS MARKED BY STRONG, VERY DRY DOWNSLOPING WESTERLY WINDS,
RESULTING IN MINIMUM AFTERNOON RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AS LOW AS 8 TO 16
PERCENT AND DANGEROUS FIRE STARTING CONDITIONS. TWO SIGNIFICANT WILD
FIRES OCCURRED WITH ONE IN ISLAND FALLS AND THE OTHER IN BAXTER
STATE PARK RESULTING IN HUNDREDS OF BURNED ACRES, THE MOST IN QUITE
SOME TIME.

FOLLOWING A BIT OF A COOL DOWN FOR THE 23RD AND 24TH, A MAJOR WARM
SPELL ACCOMPANIED BY MUCH HIGHER HUMIDITIES COMMENCED ON THE 25TH
CULMINATING ON THE 27TH THROUGH 29TH WITH HIGH TEMPS IN THE UPPER
80S TO LOWER 90S MAINLY ACROSS THE NORTH. ESCOURT STATION LOCATED AT
THE FAR NORTHWEST CORNER OF MAINE WHICH RECORDED THE LOWEST REGIONAL
TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH OF 20 DEGREES ON THE 9TH REBOUNDED TO
RECORD THE WARMEST AT 94 DEGREES (ALONG WITH FORT KENT) ON THE 28TH.
SOME LOCATIONS ALSO TIED OR ESTABLISHED NEW RECORD HIGH MINIMUM
TEMPS FOR THE MONTH ON THE 29TH. AT CARIBOU, THE FOUR DAY PERIOD OF
MAY 26TH-29TH 2020 WAS THE SECOND WARMEST MAY PERIOD OF RECORD BY
DAILY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AT 76.3 DEGREES WITH ONLY MAY 22ND-25TH
1977 SLIGHTY WARMER AT 76.5 DEGREES. PLEASE REFER TO THE PWMPNSCAR
CREATED AT 6 PM ON MAY 31ST 2020 FOR A MORE COMPREHENSIVE LISTING OF
CLIMATE SITE LOCATION RECORDS BROKEN DURING THE 27TH-29TH. FINALLY,
FOLLOWING A SHARP COLD FRONT PASSAGE ON THE 30TH, BRISK FALL LIKE
CONDITIONS RETURNED ON THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH WITH HIGH TEMPS
ACROSS THE FAR NORTH NEARLY 40 DEGREES COOLER THAN TWO DAYS PRIOR.

TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH WAS MOSTLY 55 TO 70 PERCENT OF
AVERAGE ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION, WITH ONLY THE AREA NEAR HOULTON
BEWTEEN 70 TO 90 PERCENT OF AVERAGE. MOST OF THIS PRECIPITATION FELL
DURING THE COLDER FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WITH SPARSE IF ANY
PRECIPITATION AFTERWARDS, EXCEPT ACROSS THE NORTH FROM SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE 26TH ONWARD WITH THE RETURN OF
MUCH MORE HUMID SUMMER LIKE AIR.