Summer 2023 Climate Review For Northern And Eastern Maine

...NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE SUMMER 2023 CLIMATE MONTHLY SUMMARY...

METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER (JUNE THROUGH AUGUST) FINISHED WITH ABOVE

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.

TEMPERATURES FOR THE 3-MONTH PERIOD AVERAGED FROM 1 TO 2 DEGREES

ABOVE THE 30-YEAR AVERAGE, EXCEPT ALONG THE COAST WHERE TEMPERATURES

WERE CLOSE TO THE 1991-2020 AVERAGE.  PRECIPITATION WAS ABOVE TO

WELL ABOVE AVERAGE AND RANGED FROM 125 TO 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL. THE

GREATEST DEPARTURES FROM AVERAGE WERE IN PARTS OF COASTAL WASHINGTON

COUNTY AS WELL AS PORTIONS OF THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AND IN SOUTHWEST

PENOBSCOT COUNTY.

IN CARIBOU IT TIED WITH 1990 AS THE 10TH WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD.

IN HOULTON IT WAS THE 13TH WARMEST ON RECORD.  MILLINOCKET AND

BANGOR BOTH ENDED UP WITH THE 30TH WARMEST SUMMER ON RECORD WITH

BANGOR IN A TIE FOR 30TH PLACE WITH 2012.

IN CARIBOU IS WAS THE 12TH WETTEST SUMMER ON RECORD WITH 14.59

INCHES OF RAIN. IN HOULTON IT TIED WITH 1977 AS THE 11TH WETTEST ON

RECORD WITH 15.13 INCHES. MILLINOCKET WHICH HAS A MUCH LONGER PERIOD

OF RECORD DATING BACK TO 1903 OBSERVED THEIR 5TH WETTEST SUMMER ON

RECORD WITH 18.22 INCHES OF RAIN. FINALLY IN BANGOR IT WAS THE 10TH

WETTEST SUMMER ON RECORD WITH 13.89 INCHES OF RAIN. TOTAL

EVAPORATION FOR THE SUMMER AS MEASURED BY THE CARIBOU WEATHER

STATION EVAPORATION PAN WAS 12.24 INCHES, MEANING THAT SUMMER

RAINFALL AT MOST LOCATIONS IN THE REGION WELL EXCEEDED THIS AMOUNT,

WITH PLENTY OF EXCESS RAINFALL CONTRIBUTING TO HIGHER STREAM AND

RIVER LEVELS ACROSS THE REGION AS A WHOLE COMPARED TO RECENT PAST

SUMMERS.

JUNE 2023 WILL BE MOSTLY REMEMBERED FOR CLOUDY, COOL, AND RAINY

CONDITIONS FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE. AT CARIBOU, THE 7 DAY PERIOD

FROM THE 3RD THROUGH THE 9TH WAS THE LONGEST STRETCH OF CONSECUTIVE

SUB-60 DEGREE HIGH TEMPS RECORDED IN JUNE. ANOTHER INTERESTING

FEATURE OF THIS MONTH WAS THE LACK OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH NO REPORTS

OF HAIL SIZE EQUAL OR GREATER THAN 1 INCH DIAMETER OR WIND GUSTS (OR

EQUIVALENT DAMAGE) EQUAL OR GREATER THAN 58 MPH, MARKING ONLY THE

3RD JUNE OF THIS OCCURRING ALONG WITH 2014 AND 2019.

JULY 2023 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR VERY WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS FOR

NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE WITH NEAR TO ABOVE AVERAGE RAINFALL.  IN

CARIBOU IT WAS THE ALL-TIME WARMEST MONTH ON RECORD SINCE WEATHER

RECORDS BEGAN IN 1939.  IN HOULTON AND MILLINOCKET IT WAS THE 2ND

WARMEST JULY ON RECORD, AND IN BANGOR IT WAS THE 4TH WARMEST ON

RECORD. A PERSISTENT SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW MADE FOR A HUMID MONTH

AND VERY WARM OVERNIGHT LOWS WERE PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE

RECORD TO NEAR RECORD WARMTH.  THERE WAS A CONTINUED LACK OF SEVERE

WEATHER WITH ONLY A HANDFUL OF REPORTS ALL MONTH OF TREES DOWN DUE

TO STRONG WIND ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS.

AUGUST 2023 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR COOLER THAN AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

AND WELL ABOVE AVERAGE RAINFALL. IN CARIBOU, THERE WERE NO 80 DEGREE

DAYS THE ENTIRE MONTH.  THE ONLY OTHER TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED SINCE

WEATHER RECORDS BEGAN IN 1939 WAS BACK IN 1972. RAINFALL ACROSS THE

REGION THIS PAST AUGUST WAS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE AND RANGED FROM 150

TO 200 PERCENT OF NORMAL, AND WAS SPREAD OUT FAIRLY EVENLY ACROSS

THE MONTH. AUGUST HAD THE MOST REPORTS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OF

ANY MONTH THIS SUMMER.  ON AUGUST 13TH THERE WERE SEVERAL SEVERE

THUNDERSTORMS THAT KNOCKED DOWN TREES AND PRODUCED LARGE HAIL IN

PORTIONS OF AROOSTOOK, PISCATAQUIS, AND PENOBSCOT COUNTIES.

THE OUTLOOK FOR FALL (SEPTEMBER-NOVEMBER) 2023 IS CALLING FOR

GREATER ODDS OF ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS AND EQUAL ODDS OF BELOW, NEAR

NORMAL, OR ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION

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CB/VJN