May 2022 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...PRELIMINARY MAY 2022 NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE MONTHLY CLIMATE 

NARRATIVE...

MAY 2022 ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE FINISHED ABOVE AVERAGE 

FOR TEMPERATURE. PRECIPITATION WAS MORE VARIABLE AND RANGED FROM 

WELL BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE 

IN THE SAINT JOHN VALLEY.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM 1.5 TO 2.5 DEGREES ABOVE 

AVERAGE. TEMPERATURES ALTERNATED FROM MOSTLY BELOW AVERAGE THE FIRST 

WEEK OF THE MONTH TO WELL ABOVE AVERAGE FOR THE 2ND WEEK OF THE 

MONTH. TEMPERATURES DURING THE 2ND HALF OF THE MONTH VARIED FROM 

BELOW AVERAGE TO ABOVE AVERAGE, BUT WERE NOT AS EXTREME AS THE FIRST 

HALF OF THE MONTH.  

THE HIGH OF 90 DEGREES IN CARIBOU ON THE 13TH SMASHED THE PREVIOUS 

DAILY RECORD OF 78 DEGREES SET IN 1992. IT WAS THE 2ND EARLIEST 90 

DEGREE HIGH ON RECORD BEHIND ONLY MAY 9, 1979 WHEN THE HIGH WAS ALSO 

90. 

THE FIRST 2 WEEKS OF THE MONTH WERE VERY DRY, BUT THE 2ND HALF OF 

THE MONTH FEATURED MORE FREQUENT SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. THE 

FIRST SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS OF THE SEASON WERE ISSUED OVER 

THE WEEKEND OF MAY 21-22.  

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE 

MORNING OF THE 28TH WHEN HEAVY RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS FELL TO THE 

NORTH OF CARIBOU. THIS WAS PROCEEDED BY RAIN, AND 3-DAY TOTALS OF 2 

TO 5 INCHES WERE COMMON WITH LOCAL AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES NORTH OF 

CARIBOU. ROUTE 1 IN CYR PLANTATION COLLAPSED DUE TO FLASH FLOODING 

AND A BEAVER DAM THAT BROKE LOOSE. A 7 FOOT STRETCH OF ROUTE 1 NEAR 

VAILLANCOURT ROAD WAS WASHED-OUT. 

TOTAL PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM 25 TO 65 PERCENT 

OF NORMAL DOWNEAST TO AS MUCH AS 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN THE SAINT 

JOHN VALLEY. 

1THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER'S FORECAST FOR THE MONTH OF JUNE FOR 

OUR REGION IS CALLING FOR AN INCREASED CHANCE OF ABOVE NORMAL 

TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT 

POINT TOWARD IT BEING UNUSUALLY DRY OR WET.

$$