September 2020 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...SEPTEMBER CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE...

SEPTEMBER 2020 FINISHED A LITTLE WARMER THAN AVERAGE ACROSS THE

REGION, BUT MUCH DRIER THAN AVERAGE.

TEMPERATURES FINISHED 1 TO 2 DEGREES F ABOVE NORMAL WITH THE 57.1

DEGREES AVERAGE AT CARIBOU THE 14TH WARMEST SEPTEMBER, SIGNIFICANTLY

BEHIND THE SEPTEMBER RECORD OF 61.7 DEGREES SET BACK IN 1999. AFTER

A NEAR AVERAGE FIRST 10 DAYS, IT TURNED DECIDELY COOLER MID TO LATE

MONTH WHICH WAS CULMINATED BY 4 TO 5 CONSECUTIVE FROSTY NIGHTS OF

NEAR TO BELOW FREEZING TEMPS, ENDING THE GROWING SEASON FOR MOST OF

THE REGION EXCEPT THE DOWNEAST COAST. THE LAST 5 DAYS OF THE MONTH

FINISHED MUCH ABOVE NORMAL WITH NEAR RECORD TO RECORD TEMPS,

INCLUDING THE 83 DEGREE HIGH AND 66 DEGREE LOW TEMPS RECORDED AT

CARIBOU ON THE 29TH, WITH THE 66 DEGREE LOW THE WARMEST SUCH LOW

THIS LATE IN THE SEASON.

THE BIG STORY THOUGH, WAS THE CONTINUATION OF THE DROUGHT WHICH

BEGAN IN LATE MAY/EARLY JUNE. RAINFALL WAS A VERY SCANT 5 TO 40

PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION. THE TOTAL OF 0.28 INCHES AT

BANGOR EASILY BROKE THE PRIOR DRIEST SEPTEMBER THERE OF 0.64 INCHES

SET BACK IN 1929. IN FACT, SEPTEMBER 2020 WAS LIKELY THE 3RD DRIEST

MONTH OF RECORD, WITH ONLY MARCH 1965 (0.26 INCHES) AND OCTOBER 1947

(0.20 INCHES) OFFICIALLY RECEIVING LESS. THE TOTAL OF 0.06 INCHES

RECORDED AT BANGOR FOR JULY 1952 IS IN DOUBT DUE TO MISSING DATA FOR

THE 26TH AND 27TH OF THAT MONTH WHERE RAIN DID FALL AROUND BANGOR ON

THOSE DAYS.

IT WAS ALSO THE DRIEST SEPTEMBER OF RECORD AT HOULTON WHERE THE 0.50

INCH TOTAL BEAT THE PRIOR RECORD OF 0.66 INCHES SET IN 1950.

MILLINOCKET`S TOTAL OF 0.88 INCHES THIS MONTH WAS THE 3RD DRIEST

SEPTEMBER WITH THE DRIEST 0.60 INCHES RECORDED IN 2014. AT CARIBOU,

THE TOTAL OF 1.15 INCHES WAS THE SECOND DRIEST SEPTEMBER WITH THE

DRIEST 0.86 INCHES IN 1968. PRIOR TO THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH,

CARIBOU WAS ON TRACK TO FINISH THE MONTH WITH JUST 0.14 INCHES,

WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE SECOND DRIEST MONTH ON RECORD (DRIEST

MONTH OF RECORD JANUARY 1944 WITH 0.12 INCHES), BUT LOCALLY HEAVY

RAINFALL OF 1.01 INCHES FELL ON THE LAST DAY OF THE MONTH.

CONTINUED BELOW AVERAGE RAINFALL ACROSS THE REGION FROM MAY THROUGH

SEPTEMBER RESULTED IN RECORD LOW RIVER FLOWS AND SOME SITES,

PARTICULARLY ACROSS THE SAINT JOHN AND AROOSTOOK RIVER BASINS, WHERE

SOME STRETCHES OF RIVER LOOKED LIKE VERY LOW TIDE ON WELL

ESTABLISHED SAND BAR OCEAN BEACHES. DROUGHT SEVERITY GENERALLY

INCREASED TO SEVERE TO EXTREME FOR MOST OF THE REGION BY LATE IN THE

MONTH, WITH CONCERNS ABOUT POTATO HARVEST YIELD AND SOME HAND DUG

WELLS GOING DRY.

THE OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER IS CALLING FOR ABOVE NORMAL

TEMPERATURES AND NEAR NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE REGION. AVERAGE

TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM LOWS/HIGHS OF MID 30S/UPPER 50S NORTH TO MID

40S/LOW 60S DOWNEAST. AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IS ABOUT 3.50 TO 4.00

INCHES REGION WIDE.