2021 Year In Review for Northern and Eastern Maine
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
557 PM EST TUE JAN 4 2022
...2021 YEAR IN REVIEW...
JANUARY WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR MUCH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND
WELL BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION, INCLUDING SNOWFALL. IT WAS THE
2ND WARMEST JANUARY ON RECORD IN CARIBOU AND THE 7TH WARMEST IN
BANGOR. THERE WERE ONLY 4 NIGHTS WITH A SUB-ZERO LOW IN CARIBOU
WHICH IS THE FEWEST ON RECORD. THE SNOW DEPTH WAS UNUSUALLY LOW
AND AVERAGED ONLY 40 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN CARIBOU AND 25 PERCENT
OF NORMAL IN BANGOR.
FEBRUARY FEATURED TEMPERATURES THAT WERE SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE
WITH ABOVE TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE SNOWFALL AS SEVERAL WINTER STORMS
AFFECTED THE AREA. CARIBOU ENDED UP WITH A TOTAL OF 38 INCHES OF
SNOW, AND IT WAS THE SNOWIEST FEBRUARY SINCE 2013 AND THE 10TH
SNOWIEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. THE SNOW DEPTH INCREASED
SIGNIFICANTLY FROM JANUARY, AND BY THE END OF THE MONTH THERE WAS
15 TO 30 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND ACROSS THE NORTH AND 5 TO
10 INCHES ALONG THE COAST.
MARCH ALSO HAD ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES THAT RANGED FROM 2 TO 3
DEGREES ABOVE THE 1991-2020 NORMALS. THE BIG STORY WAS A WARM-UP
ON THE 20TH THROUGH THE 25TH WHICH BROUGHT SIX CONSECUTIVE DAYS
WITH HIGHS IN THE 50S AND 60S AND MELTED OUT A LOT OF THE WINTER
SNOWPACK. SNOWFALL WAS WELL BELOW AVERAGE WITH ONLY A TRACE
OBSERVED ALL MONTH IN BANGOR, WHICH TIED WITH 1946 FOR THE LEAST
AMOUNT OF SNOW OBSERVED DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH. THE MOST
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE 2ND ACROSS
NORTHERN AND EASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY WHEN VERY STRONG WIND
COMBINED WITH FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW THE DAY PRIOR TO PRODUCE
SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. MANY ROADS INCLUDING PARTS
OF U.S. 1 WERE CLOSED AND THERE WERE NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS AND LOCAL
WHITE-OUT CONDITIONS.
APRIL WAS YET ANOTHER MONTH OF ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ACROSS
THE REGION WITH ALL LONG TERM CLIMATE SITES OBSERVING A TOP 5
WARMEST APRIL ON RECORD. PRECIPITATION WAS CLOSE TO AVERAGE, BUT
SNOWFALL WAS BELOW AVERAGE DOWNEAST AND NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE
AVERAGE FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AREAS. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
EVENT WAS A SNOWFALL ON THE 21ST-22ND THAT PRODUCED SEVERAL INCHES
OF SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS WITH LOCALIZED HEAVY SNOW TOTALS UP
TO A FOOT ACROSS THE HIGH TERRAIN OF CENTRAL, NORTHWEST, AND FAR
NORTHERN SECTIONS OF MAINE.
MAY FINISHED WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND BELOW TO NEAR
NORMAL RAINFALL. THE MONTH BEGAN AND ENDED COOL WITH MOST INLAND
AREAS WITH HIGHS IN THE 80S ON THE 26TH WITH A FEW CENTRAL AREAS
IN THE LOW 90S. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY FROST AND EVEN SOME FREEZES
AT THE END OF THE MONTH ON THE 27TH THROUGH THE 30TH.
JUNE WENT DOWN IN THE RECORD BOOKS AS A VERY WARM MONTH. IN FACT,
IT WAS THE ALL-TIME WARMEST JUNE ON RECORD IN CARIBOU. THIS
FOLLOWED ON THE HEELS OF 2020 WHICH HAD JUST BECOME THE WARMEST
JUNE ON RECORD. HOULTON AND MILLINOCKET OBSERVED THEIR 2ND WARMEST
JUNE, AND IN BANGOR IT WAS THE 3RD WARMEST ON RECORD. OF NOTE, FOR
THE FIRST TIME SINCE WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1939 THERE WAS A
90-DEGREE DAY IN CARIBOU DURING THE FIRST TEN DAYS OF JUNE. THE
LOW OF 69 DEGREES ON THE 27TH TIED FOR THE ALL-TIME WARMEST LOW
TEMPERATURE IN CARIBOU DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE. IT RANKED AS THE
2ND DRIEST JUNE ON RECORD IN CARIBOU WITH ONLY 0.97" OF RAIN.
THERE WERE A COUPLE OF SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING THE MONTH. ON THE
MORNING OF THE 9TH, THERE WAS FLASH FLOODING IN PARTS OF HANCOCK
AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES WITH LOCAL REPORTS OF OVER 5 INCHES OF
RAIN. ON THE 21ST, THERE WAS A MICROBURST OVER LIMESTONE THAT
PRODUCED WIND GUSTS ESTIMATED AT 100 TO 110 MPH. THE SAME DAY
ANOTHER MICROBURST WAS OBSERVED FROM CASTLE HILL TO JUST SOUTHWEST
OF CARIBOU THAT PRODUCED GUSTS THAT WERE ESTIMATED AT 90 TO 100
MPH. DROUGHT CONDITIONS WORSENED ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE
MONTH WITH SEVERE DROUGHT IN PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT AND
SOUTHWEST PISCATAQUIS COUNTIES.
JULY WAS THE FIRST MONTH SINCE MAY 2020 WITH BELOW AVERAGE
TEMPERATURES IN CARIBOU, HOULTON, MILLINOCKET, AND BANGOR. IT WAS
THE COOLEST JULY SINCE 2009. IT WAS THE ALL-TIME WETTEST JULY ON
RECORD IN BANGOR WITH 7.67 INCHES OF RAIN WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS
RECORD OF 7.25 INCHES IN 1983. IT WAS A VERY WET MONTH DOWNEAST
AND A VERY DRY MONTH ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MAINE. SEVERE WEATHER,
WHICH TYPICALLY PEAKS IN JULY WAS ABSENT THIS YEAR WITH ONLY 2
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ISSUED ALL MONTH, AND THEY WERE IN
HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVED
DOWNEAST DUE TO THE THE ABOVE AVERAGE RAINFALL.
AUGUST WAS A VERY WARM AND DRY MONTH. IN FACT, IT RANKED AS THE
ALL-TIME WARMEST AUGUST ON RECORD IN CARIBOU AND HOULTON, AND THE
2ND WARMEST ON RECORD IN MILLINOCKET. RAINFALL WAS ONLY ABOUT 40
PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE FAR NORTH AND WEST AND CLOSER TO
AVERAGE DOWNEAST. SOME OF THE RAIN THAT WAS OBSERVED DOWNEAST WAS
THE RESULT OF THE REMNANT LOW PRESSURE OF HENRI ON THE 23TH INTO
THE 24TH.
SEPTEMBER WAS WARMER AND WETTER THAN AVERAGE. ALL OF THE LONG TERM
CLIMATE SITES HAD A TOP 10 WETTEST SEPTEMBER, WHICH HELPED
SIGNIFICANTLY TO REDUCE THE DROUGHT CONDITIONS ACROSS THE REGION.
OCTOBER WAS WARMER THAN AVERAGE WITH NO MEASURABLE SNOWFALL EXCEPT
FOR THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS. PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW AVERAGE TO
NEAR AVERAGE. CARIBOU SET A RECORD FOR THE LATEST FIRST FREEZE ON
RECORD WHICH DID NOT OCCUR UNTIL THE 25TH. THIS SMASHED THE
PREVIOUS RECORD OF OCTOBER 17, 1970.
NOVEMBER WAS A BIT WARMER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE. THE FIRST
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL OCCURRED ON THE 15TH INTO THE 16TH ACROSS
THE NORTH WITH 3 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW. A LARGER STORM AFFECTED THE
REGION ON THE 26TH-27TH WITH UP TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE
NORTH, BUT WITH LIGHTER AMOUNTS ACROSS CENTRAL AND DOWNEAST AREAS.
DECEMBER WAS A LITTLE WARMER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE ACROSS THE
REGION. THERE WAS A PRONOUNCED LACK OF ARCTIC AIR WITH ONLY ONE
NIGHT WITH A LOW TEMPERATURE BELOW ZERO IN CARIBOU. SNOWFALL WAS
NEAR TO SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE NORTH AND BELOW AVERAGE
DOWNEAST. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE SNOWPACK RANGED FROM 6 TO
12 INCHES ACROSS THE NORTH, EXCEPT 12 TO 18 INCHES ACROSS THE
HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF NORTHWEST MAINE. AMOUNTS WERE GENERALLY IN
THE 4 TO 8 INCH RANGE FOR CENTRAL AREAS, AND FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES
DOWNEAST, EXCEPT RIGHT ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST WHERE THERE WAS
LITTLE TO NO SNOW.
$$
CB
posted by Advackia at 9:10 PM
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