Sunday, May 03, 2020

April 2020 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

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

APRIL 2020 FINISHED WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, ABOVE AVERAGE
PRECIPITATION DOWNEAST, AND CLOSE TO AVERAGE PRECIPITATION ACROSS
THE NORTH.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION MOSTLY AVERAGED FROM 1 TO 2 DEGREES
BELOW AVERAGE.  IN CARIBOU, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 36.6 DEGREES
WAS 2 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE, AND IN BANGOR THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
OF 41.4 DEGREES WAS 1.4 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE.  IN CARIBOU THERE
WERE 21 NIGHTS WITH LOW OF FREEZING OR LOWER, WHICH IS THE AVERAGE
NUMBER OF NIGHTS DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL.  IN BANGOR, THERE WERE
18 NIGHTS WITH LOW OF FREEZING OR LOWER, WHICH WAS 3 MORE THAN
AVERAGE.  THE MONTH HAD ALTERNATING SPELLS OF ABOVE AND BELOW NORMAL
TEMPERATURES DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH, BUT MOST OF THE
DAYS AND NIGHTS DURING THE 2ND HALF OF THE MONTH HAD BELOW AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES.

THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE IN CARIBOU WAS 62 DEGREES ON THE 29TH.  THIS
WAS THE FIRST 60 DEGREE DAY SINCE NOVEMBER 1ST.  IN BANGOR, THE
FIRST 60 DEGREE DAY WAS OBSERVED ON THE 25TH WHEN THE HIGH WAS 64
DEGREES. THIS WAS THE 5TH LATEST DATE FOR THE FIRST 60 DEGREE DAY ON
RECORD IN BANGOR.

PRECIPITATION WAS GENERALLY 120 TO 170 PERCENT OF NORMAL DOWNEAST,
AND FROM 90 TO 110 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE NORTH.  A TOTAL OF
21.9 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED IN CARIBOU, WHICH MADE IT THE 5TH
SNOWIEST APRIL ON RECORD, AND THE SNOWIEST APRIL SINCE 2007. DESPITE
IT BEING A SNOWY MONTH, THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 2.83 INCHES OF COMBINED
RAIN AND MELTED SNOW, WHICH WAS ONLY 17 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH
(0.17") ABOVE AVERAGE.  IN BANGOR, A TOTAL OF 7.8 INCHES OF SNOW WAS
OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 4.1 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE.  A TOTAL OF 4.78
INCHES OF RAIN AND MELTED SNOW WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 1.16 INCHES
ABOVE NORMAL.

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND WIDESPREAD SNOW EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 9TH
INTO THE 10TH WHEN MANY AREAS TO THE NORTH OF BANGOR OBSERVED OVER A
FOOT OF SNOW, AND A FEW SPOTS IN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY OBSERVED OVER 20
INCHES OF SNOW.  SNOWFALL WAS MORE LIMITED AND ON THE ORDER OF 2 TO
6 INCHES IN MOST AREAS ALONG THE COAST.  BY THE MIDDLE OF APRIL THE
SNOW HAD MELTED OUT ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION.  BY THE END OF THE
MONTH, THE ONLY SPOTS WITH SNOW ON THE GROUND WERE IN WOODED AREAS
ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MAINE, MAINLY TO THE NORTH OF CARIBOU WHERE SOME
SPOTS HAD A FOOT OR MORE OF SNOW ON THE GROUND IN DENSELY WOODED
AREAS.

THE OUTLOOK FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FOR MAY CALLS FOR AN
INCREASED CHANCE OF BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND AN INCREASED
CHANCE OF ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.  ONE HOUR AND 11 MINUTES OF
AVAILABLE DAYLIGHT ARE GAINED IN CARIBOU DURING THE MONTH OF MAY.