February 2023 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...FEBRUARY 2023 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...

FEBRUARY 2023 WAS SLIGHTLY COLDER THAN AVERAGE ACROSS FAR NORTHERN

MAINE, AND SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE

REGION. PRECIPITATION WAS BELOW AVERAGE. SNOWFALL WAS BELOW 

AVERAGE, EXCEPT ACROSS FAR NORTHERN MAINE WHERE IT WAS NEAR TO 

SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE.

THE REGION AS A WHOLE AVERAGED FROM 1 TO 2 DEGREES BELOW AVERAGE 

ACROSS THE FAR NORTH AND FROM 1 TO 2 DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE ACROSS

THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA.

THE MONTH WAS CHARACTERIZED BY ALTERNATING SPELLS OF ABOVE AND

BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THERE WAS A BRIEF COLD SNAP ON THE 3RD

INTO THE 4TH, AND TEMPERATURES WERE WELL BELOW AVERAGE THE LAST 6

DAYS OF THE MONTH. FEBRUARY WAS COLDER THAN JANUARY 2023 BY 4 TO 

7 DEGREES. ON AVERAGE FEBRUARY IS COLDER THAN JANUARY ABOUT ONCE 

EVERY 3 TO 4 YEARS. 

TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THE MONTH RANGED FROM 25 TO 50 PERCENT OF

AVERAGE FROM SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY SOUTH TO THE COAST, AND

FROM 50 TO 90 PERCENT OF NORMAL FROM THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS NORTH

TO THE NORTH WOODS AND SAINT JOHN VALLEY.

ONLY 0.64" OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION WAS OBSERVED AT HOULTON, MAKING

IT THE 3RD DRIEST FEBRUARY SINCE 1948. AT MILLINOCKET WHICH HAS 

WEATHER RECORDS THAT DATE BACK TO 1903, IT RANKED AT THE 7TH 

DRIEST FEBRUARY ON RECORD. FINALLY, AT BANGOR THE TOTAL OF 1.17" 

OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION RANKED AS THE 6TH DRIEST SINCE 1925.

SNOWFALL WAS BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE REGION, EXCEPT FROM AROUND

PRESQUE ISLE/CARIBOU NORTH WHERE TOTAL SNOWFALL WAS NEAR TO

SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE. IN CARIBOU, 28.1" OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED FOR

THE MONTH, WHICH WAS 2.8" ABOVE AVERAGE. AT BANGOR, 10.5" OF SNOW

WAS OBSERVED WHICH WAS 7" BELOW AVERAGE.  

AT THE START OF THE MONTH, THE SNOW DEPTH RANGED FROM 2 TO 3 FEET 

ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS WITH LOCALLY AROUND 4 FEET ACROSS THE 

HIGHEST TERRAIN, AND FROM 6 TO 12 INCHES ALONG THE COAST. BY THE 

END OF THE MONTH, THERE WAS LITTLE CHANGE TO THE SNOW DEPTH ACROSS 

THE NORTH; BUT AMOUNTS IN BANGOR AND ALONG THE COAST WHERE 

GENERALLY 6 INCHES OR LESS. THE SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT ACROSS 

NORTHERN AREAS RANGED FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES BY THE END OF THE MONTH,

WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ACROSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN. 

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE 3RD INTO

THE 4TH WHEN WIND CHILLS LOWER THAN 40 BELOW WERE OBSERVED ACROSS

NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE. THE LOWEST WIND CHILL OBSERVED WAS AT

FRENCHVILLE AT -61F, AND THIS WAS THE LOWEST WIND CHILL OBSERVED 

AT FRENCHVILLE SINCE WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN AT THE AIRPORT IN 1996.

THE LOWEST WIND CHILL AT CARIBOU OF -52F WAS THE LOWEST SINCE THE

1980S, AND IN BANGOR THE LOWEST WIND CHILLS OF -47F WAS THE 

LOWEST SINCE 2005. AT CARIBOU, THERE WERE 50 CONSECUTIVE HOURS 

DURING THE COLD SNAP WITH ACTUAL AIR TEMPERATURES BELOW ZERO. IN 

ADDITION, THE STRONG WIND PRODUCED BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW, 

ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE OPEN AREAS OF AROOSTOOK COUNTY WHERE SOME 

SECONDARY ROADS WERE CLOSED DUE TO DRIFTING, AND U.S. 1 FROM 

CONNOR NORTH WAS CLOSED FOR A TIME DUE TO DRIFTING. THERE WERE

SEVERAL REPORTS OF CRYOSEISMS OR FROST QUAKES DURING THE COLD 

SNAP.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER'S OUTLOOK FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 

2023 INDICATES THAT THE ODDS ARE TILTED TOWARD BELOW AVERAGE 

TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT 

POINT TOWARD IT BEING UNUSUALLY WET (SNOWY) OR DRY.

NORMAL MARCH TEMPERATURES FOR THE 1991-2020 PERIOD INDICATE THAT 

THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES RISE SIGNIFICANTLY DURING THE MONTH. AT 

THE START OF THE MONTH, THE AVERAGE HIGHS ARE IN THE UPPER 20S 

ACROSS THE FAR NORTH AND RISE TO NEAR 40 DEGREES BY THE END OF 

THE MONTH. AVERAGE LOWS RISE FROM THE UPPER SINGLE DIGITS TO THE

LOW 20S BY THE END OF THE MONTH. DOWNEAST, THE AVERAGE HIGHS RISE

FROM THE MID 30S TO THE MID 40S, AND AVERAGE LOWS RISE FROM THE 

TEENS THE UPPER 20S. THERE IS ON AVERAGE, 21.4 INCHES OF SNOW AT 

CARIBOU, AND 15.2 INCHES AT BANGOR. A LITTLE OVER AN HOUR AND A

HALF OF DAYLIGHT IS GAINED DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH. DAYLIGHT

SAVINGS TIME BEGINS THIS YEAR ON SUNDAY, MARCH 12TH.