October 2023 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

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

OCTOBER 2023 WAS MUCH WARMER THAN NORMAL WITH ABOVE AVERAGE 

PRECIPITATION ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION.

TEMPERATURES AVERAGED FROM 6 TO 7 DEGREES (F) ABOVE THE 1991- 2020 

NORMALS. PRECIPITATION WAS MORE VARIABLE ACROSS THE REGION AND 

RANGED FROM 110 TO 150 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION 

AND MOST OF NORTHERN MAINE. THERE WAS A SMALLER AREA ACROSS NORTHERN 

AND CENTRAL PENOBSCOT COUNTY AND SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK COUNTY WHERE 

PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 75 TO 90 PERCENT OF NORMAL.

IN CARIBOU IT WAS THE 2ND WARMEST OCTOBER ON RECORD BEHIND ONLY 

2017. WEATHER RECORD IN CARIBOU BEGAN IN 1939. BANGOR AND 

MILLINOCKET ALSO OBSERVED THEIR 2ND WARMEST OCTOBERS ON RECORD 

BEHIND 2017. WEATHER RECORDS IN BANGOR BEGAN IN LATE 1925 AND IN 

MILLINOCKET IN 1903. IN HOULTON, IT TIED FOR THE WARMEST OCTOBER ON 

RECORD WITH 2017. WEATHER RECORDS IN HOULTON BEGAN IN 1948. 

OCTOBER WAS CONSISTENTLY A VERY MILD MONTH WITH ABOVE AVERAGE 

TEMPERATURES EVERY DAY FROM THE 1ST TO THE 23RD OF THE MONTH AT 

CARIBOU, AND IN BANGOR THERE WAS ONLY ONE DAY WITH BELOW AVERAGE 

TEMPERATURES FROM THE 1ST THROUGH THE 28TH. IT DID TURN SHARPLY 

COLDER AT THE END OF THE MONTH WITH BELOW AVERAGE TEMPERATURES THE 

LAST FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH. SEVERAL HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORDS AS WELL 

AS RECORD WARM LOW TEMPERATURES WERE OBSERVED DURING THE MONTH. 

THE FIRST SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURE OF THE MONTH WAS OBSERVED AT 

CARIBOU ON THE 24TH WHICH WAS THE 2ND LATEST ON RECORD BEHIND 

OCTOBER 30, 2020. IN HOULTON THE FIRST SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURE WAS 

OBSERVED ON 23RD, WHICH WAS THE LATEST ON RECORD. THE OLD RECORD WAS 

OCTOBER 21, 1957. IN BANGOR, THE FIRST SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURE WAS 

OBSERVED ON THE 31ST, WHICH WAS THE 4TH LATEST ON RECORD. 

THE FIRST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON WAS OBSERVED ON THE 30TH WITH 

AMOUNTS MOSTLY RANGING FROM 2 TO 4 INCHES FROM NORTHER WASHINGTON 

COUNTY AND SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS COUNTY NORTH TO THE SAINT JOHN 

VALLEY. THE 3.3 INCHES OF SNOW THAT WAS OBSERVED IN CARIBOU ON THE 

30TH BROKE THE PREVIOUS DAILY RECORD OF 2.3 INCHES SET IN 1941.

FALL FOLIAGE PEAKED DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH ACROSS THE 

NORTH AND BY THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION. 

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

2023 INDICATES THAT THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD BELOW 

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS THAT POINT 

TOWARD IT BEING AN UNUSUALLY WET (SNOWY) MONTH OR UNUSUALLY DRY. 

AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM THE MID 40 TO LOW 50S (FROM 

NORTH TO SOUTH) AT THE START OF THE MONTH, AND RANGE FROM THE THE 

UPPER 30S TO MID 40S BY THE END OF THE MONTH. AVERAGE LOW 

TEMPERATURES RANGE FROM NEAR 40F AT THE START OF THE MONTH DOWNEAST 

TO THE LOW TO MID 20S BY THE END OF THE MONTH. ACROSS THE FAR NORTH, 

AVERAGE LOWS DROP FROM THE LOW 30S AT THE START OF THE MONTH TO THE 

UPPER TEENS BY THE END OF THE MONTH. 

LIQUID PRECIPITATION DURING THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER AVERAGES FROM 3.25 

TO 4 INCHES DURING THE MONTH, AND SNOWFALL AVERAGES RANGE FROM 4.3 

INCHES IN BANGOR TO 10.4 IN CARIBOU. ON AVERAGE NOVEMBER IS THE 

CLOUDIEST MONTH OF THE YEAR ACROSS THE REGION. SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE 

ANYTIME IN NOVEMBER, BUT THE LIKELIHOOD AND FREQUENCY OF LARGER 

SNOWFALL EVENTS INCREASES MOST RAPIDLY DURING THE 2ND HALF OF THE 

MONTH. NEARLY 2 HOURS OF DAYLIGHT IS LOST DURING THE MONTH OF 

NOVEMBER, AND DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS THIS YEAR ON SUNDAY, 

NOVEMBER 5TH.