January 2022 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

905 PM EST TUE FEB 1 2022

...PRELIMINARY JANUARY 2022 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN

MAINE...

JANUARY 2022 WAS MUCH COLDER THAN NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION 

COMPARED TO 1991-2020 AVERAGES. THE MONTH FINISHED 4 TO 6 DEGREES

BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE AREA. IT WAS THE COLDEST JANUARY ACROSS 

NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE SINCE 2009. 

LIQUID PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 50 TO 90 PERCENT ACROSS MOST OF 

THE REGION, BUT WAS 100 TO 130 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN WASHINGTON 

COUNTY. SNOWFALL WAS ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS THE AREA. IN CARIBOU, A 

TOTAL OF 31.1 INCHES WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 6.1 INCHES ABOVE 

AVERAGE. IN BANGOR, 28.1 INCHES WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 9.5 INCHES

ABOVE AVERAGE. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE SNOWFALL IN BANGOR ON 

THE 29TH INTO EARLY ON THE 30TH WAS ESTIMATED DUE TO EXTENSIVE 

DRIFTING SNOW AT THE OBSERVATION SITE.

SNOW DEPTH BY THE END OF THE MONTH RANGED FROM 10 TO 18 INCHES

ALONG THE COAST AND FROM 14 TO 32 INCHES ACROSS AROOSTOOK COUNTY

WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS ALONG AND TO

THE WEST OF ROUTE 11.

THERE WERE A TOTAL OF 22 NIGHTS WITH A LOW BELOW ZERO AT CARIBOU,

WHICH WAS THE MOST SINCE 2009. THE LOW OF 30 BELOW AT CARIBOU ON

THE MORNING OF THE 27TH WAS THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE OBSERVED SINCE

JANUARY 2009 WHEN THERE WERE 3 CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS WITH A LOW OF 

30 BELOW OR LOWER. 

THERE WERE 14 CONSECUTIVE NIGHTS WITH A LOW BELOW ZERO AT CARIBOU,

WHICH WAS THE MOST SINCE FEBRUARY 2015. IT WAS ALSO THE MOST SUB-

ZERO NIGHTS IN JANUARY SINCE 1974.

IN BANGOR, THERE WERE A TOTAL 12 NIGHTS WITH A LOW BELOW ZERO,

WHICH WAS THE MOST IN ANY MONTH SINCE FEBRUARY 2015, AND THE MOST

IN JANUARY SINCE 2009.

IN HOULTON THERE WERE 22 NIGHTS BELOW ZERO, WHICH WAS THE MOST

IN ANY MONTH SINCE FEBRUARY 2015 WHEN THERE WERE ALSO 22 SUB-ZERO

NIGHTS. IT WAS THE MOST SUB-ZERO NIGHTS IN JANUARY SINCE 2009 WHEN

THERE WERE 23. IN MILLINOCKET, THERE WERE 17 NIGHTS BELOW ZERO,

WHICH WERE ALSO THE MOST SINCE FEBRUARY 2015 WHEN THERE WERE 23.

IT WAS ALSO THE MOST SUB-ZERO NIGHTS IN JANUARY SINCE 2009 WHEN

THERE WERE 20.

ACROSS NORTHERN MAINE, THE COLDEST NIGHT WAS THE MORNING OF THE

27TH WHEN THE LOW TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF 39 BELOW WAS

OBSERVED AS MASARDIS. THE CONTIGUOUS U.S. COLD SPOT WAS OBSERVED

ACROSS NORTHERN MAINE ON FIVE MORNINGS THIS MONTH. THE FROST

DEPTH IN CARIBOU BY THE END OF THE MONTH WAS 11 INCHES, WHICH WAS

THE GREATEST OBSERVED IN AT LEAST THE PAST 3 WINTERS. 

ASIDE FROM A MONTH WHICH BROUGHT PROLONGED COLD TO THE REGION THE

BIGGEST WEATHER EVENT WAS A WINTER STORM ON THE 29TH EARLY IN THE

MORNING OF THE 30TH. THE STORM WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HEAVY SNOW AND

STRONG WIND WHICH PRODUCED SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW

WITH BLIZZARD CONDITIONS AT TIMES ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION WITH

LOCALIZED BLIZZARD CONDITIONS INTO SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY.

WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH WERE OBSERVED ALONG PORTIONS OF THE

HANCOCK COUNTY COAST. THE STORM PRODUCED UP TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW

IN HOULTON, 18 INCHES IN BANGOR, 19 INCHES IN EASTPORT, AND 22

INCHES IN VEAZIE. AMOUNTS DROPPED OFF TO THE NORTH OF CARIBOU AND

WERE GENERALLY FROM 6 TO 12 INCHES. 

THE OUTLOOK FROM THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER FOR FEBRUARY CALLS

FOR INCREASED CHANGES OF ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE NO

STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT POINT TOWARD IT BEING UNUSUALLY WET 

(SNOWY) OR DRY. DAYLIGHT INCREASED RAPIDLY DURING THE MONTH WITH 

OVER AN HOUR OF ADDITIONAL DAYLIGHT BY THE END OF THE MONTH. 

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE RISE DURING THE MONTH WITH AN AVERAGE HIGH 

AROUND 20F IN THE FAR NORTH THE UPPER 20S BY THE END OF THE MONTH.

IN BANGOR, AVERAGE HIGHS RISE FROM THE UPPER 20S TO MID 30S BY 

MONTHS END. LOWS ACROSS THE NORTH AVERAGE AROUND ZERO AT THE START

OF THE MONTH AND CLOSER TO 10 ABOVE BY THE END OF THE MONTH. IN 

BANGOR, AVERAGE LOWS RISE FROM 8 ABOVE ON THE 1ST TO 15 BY THE 

END OF THE MONTH. AVERAGE MONTHLY SNOWFALL IS 17.5 INCHES IN 

BANGOR AND 25.3 INCHES IN CARIBOU

$$

CB/VJN