July 2021 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...JULY 2021 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE...

JULY WAS A COOLER THAN AVERAGE MONTH, AND WAS THE FIRST MONTH

WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES SINCE MAY 2020 AT CARIBOU,

HOULTON, MILLINOCKET, AND BANGOR. TEMPERATURES AVERAGED FROM 2 TO

3.5 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE. IT WAS THE COOLEST JULY SINCE 2009 AT

ALL FOUR OF THE AFORE MENTIONED CLIMATE SITES.

THE WARMEST TEMPERATURE THE ENTIRE MONTH IN CARIBOU WAS ONLY 84

DEGREES ON THE 19TH, AND IN BANGOR 85 DEGREES ON THE 15TH. THIS

WAS UNUSUAL AS CARIBOU AVERAGES 4 DAYS WITH A HIGH OF 85 OR WARMER

IN JULY AND BANGOR 8.

PRECIPITATION WAS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE DOWNEAST, AND IT WAS THE

ALL-TIME WETTEST JULY ON RECORD IN BANGOR WITH 7.67 INCHES OF

RAIN, WHICH WAS 4.51 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. THIS BROKE THE PREVIOUS

RECORD OF 7.25 INCHES IN 1983. PRECIPITATION WAS 150 TO 250

PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES AS WELL

AS SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY. TO THE NORTH, PRECIPITATION TOTALS

DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE NORTH OF MILLINOCKET, AND RANGED

FROM 69 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN CARIBOU TO LESS THAN 50 PERCENT OF

NORMAL ACROSS THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY AND PARTS OF NORTHERN

PISCATAQUIS AND NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTIES.

IN CARIBOU, A TOTAL OF 2.94 INCHES OF RAIN WAS OBSERVED, WHILE JULY

EVAPORATION AS MEASURED AT WFO CARIBOU WAS 4.66 INCHES. EVAPORATION OUTPACED

PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS, WHILE DOWNEAST THE TOTAL PRECIPITATION

FOR THE MONTH FAR OUTPACED THE MONTHLY EVAPORATION.

SEVERE WEATHER TYPICALLY PEAKS DURING THE MONTH OF JULY, BUT THIS

JULY WAS VERY QUIET WITH ONLY 2 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS

ISSUED ALL MONTH. IN FACT, THE ONLY WARNINGS ISSUED WERE DOWNEAST

IN HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES.

DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVED, AND BY THE END OF THE MONTH MODERATE

DROUGHT WAS OBSERVED IN NORTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY, CENTRAL AND

SOUTHERN PISCATQUIS COUNTY, AND IN SMALL SECTIONS OF WESTERN

PENOBSCOT COUNTY. IT WAS ABNORMALLY DRY ELSEWHERE, BUT COASTAL

HANCOCK COUNTY, WASHINGTON COUNTY, PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST

AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AND EASTERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY WERE NOT IN

DROUGHT.

THE OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF AUGUST FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION

CENTER IS CALLING FOR GREATER PROBABILITIES OF ABOVE AVERAGE

TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT

WOULD POINT TOWARD IT BEING UNUSUALLY WET OR DRY. AVERAGE

TEMPERATURES FOR AUGUST PEAK EARLY IN THE MONTH WITH A MORE RAPID

DECLINE DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH. NEARLY 1 1/2 HOURS OF

DAYLIGHT IS LOST DURING THE MONTH OF AUGUST.