February 2020 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...FEBRUARY 2020 NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE CLIMATE NARRATIVE...

FEBRUARY 2020 FINISHED WITH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. TEMPERATURES
AVERAGED FROM 1.5 TO JUST OVER 3 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE.  THE
GREATEST DEPARTURE FROM AVERAGE OF 3.2 DEGREES WAS OBSERVED IN
BANGOR.  PRECIPITATION WAS MORE VARIABLE AND RANGED FROM 70 TO 90
PERCENT OF AVERAGE FROM AROUND HOULTON SOUTH AND FROM 100 TO 150
PERCENT OF AVERAGE FROM PRESQUE ISLE AND CLAYTON LAKE NORTH THROUGH
THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY.

THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH IN CARIBOU WAS 24 BELOW ON THE
MORNING OF THE 15TH.  THE HIGHEST TEMPERATURE OF 47 DEGREES WAS
OBSERVED ON BOTH THE 24TH AND 25TH.  IN BANGOR, THE LOW TEMPERATURE
FOR THE MONTH WAS 11 BELOW ON THE 21ST AND THE HIGH FOR THE MONTH OF
48 DEGREES WAS OBSERVED ON THE 24TH AND THE 25TH.  THE LOWEST
TEMPERATURE OBSERVED ACROSS THE REGION THIS PAST FEBRUARY WAS 36
BELOW 1 MILE NORTH OF MASARDIS ON THE MORNING OF THE 15TH.

SNOWFALL WAS ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MAINE AND BELOW
AVERAGE ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION.  IN CARIBOU A TOTAL OF 33 INCHES
OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED WHICH WAS 10.8 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE.  IT RANKED
AS THE 13TH SNOWIEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD AND THE SNOWIEST SINCE 2013
WHEN 44.2 INCHES WAS OBSERVED.  IN BANGOR, 9.7 INCHES OF SNOW WAS
OBSERVED WHICH WAS 5 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE.  IT WAS THE LEAST AMOUNT
OF SNOW TO BE OBSERVED IN BANGOR SINCE 2012 WHEN ONLY 7.2 INCHES WAS
OBSERVED.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE 6TH
INTO THE 7TH WHEN OVER 20 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED IN SPOTS
ACROSS NORTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY.  SNOWFALL AMOUNTS DROPPED OFF
RAPIDLY TO THE SOUTH WITH LESS THAN 6 INCHES OF SNOW TO THE SOUTH OF
MILLINOCKET.  ANOTHER STORM ON THE 27TH PRODUCED 8 TO 12 INCHES OF
SNOW FROM THE KATAHDIN REGION NORTH, BUT WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF
SNOW FROM BANGOR SOUTH TO THE COAST.

BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE SNOW DEPTH ACROSS THE REGION RANGED
FROM 25 TO 35 INCHES ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MAINE, BUT WITH ONLY AN
INCH IN BANGOR AND FROM A TRACE TO A FEW INCHES IN MOST LOCATIONS
ALONG THE COAST.

THE CPC OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH FOR THE REGION IS CALLING FOR
AN INCREASED CHANCE OF ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.  THERE ARE NO
STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT WOULD POINT TOWARD UNUSUALLY WET (SNOWY)
OR DRY WEATHER. TEMPERATURES CONTINUE AN UPWARD SWING WITH THE
AVERAGE HIGH IN CARIBOU CLIMBING FROM 28 DEGREES ON THE 1ST TO 40 BY
THE END OF THE MONTH. THE AVERAGE LOW RISES FROM 9 ON THE 1ST TO 22
BY THE END OF THE MONTH. THERE IS ON AVERAGE 18.3 INCHES OF SNOW IN
CARIBOU.  IN BANGOR, THE AVERAGE HIGH RISES FROM 35 ON THE 1ST TO 46
BY THE END OF THE MONTH.  THE AVERAGE LOW RISES FROM 15 ON THE 1ST
TO 27 BY THE END OF THE MONTH.  THERE IS ON AVERAGE 11.7 INCHES OF
SNOW OBSERVED DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH. THERE IS A GAIN OF 1 HOUR
AND 41 MINUTES OF DAYLIGHT IN CARIBOU DURING THE MONTH.  DAYLIGHT
SAVINGS TIME BEGINS ON SUNDAY, MARCH 8TH.