February 2024 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

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CXUS51 KCAR 022157

CLMBGR

CLIMATE REPORT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME

451 PM EST SAT MAR 02 2024

...PRELIMINARY FEBRUARY 2024 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN

MAINE...

FEBRUARY 2024 FOR THE REGION AS A WHOLE FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL WERE BOTH WELL

BELOW AVERAGE.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE AREA RANGED FROM 5.5 TO 7.5 DEGREES (F)

ABOVE 1991-2020 NORMALS. IT RANKED AS THE 5TH WARMEST FEBRUARY ON

RECORD AT BOTH CARIBOU AND HOULTON, AND AS THE 4TH WARMEST IN

MILLINOCKET, AND THE 9TH WARMEST IN BANGOR.

THE MONTH WAS VERY DRY ACROSS THE REGION WITH PRECIPITATION THAT

RANGED FROM 25 TO 50 PERCENT OF NORMAL, EXCEPT LOCALLY 50 TO 75

PERCENT OF NORMAL IN PARTS OF EASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY AND

WASHINGTON COUNTY.

SNOWFALL WAS WELL BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. IN FACT,

IT WAS THE 2ND LEAST SNOWY FEBRUARY ON RECORD IN BANGOR WITH ONLY

1.2 INCHES OF SNOW. THE ONLY YEAR ON RECORD WITH LESS SNOWFALL IN

FEBRUARY WAS IN 1998 WHEN AN INCH WAS OBSERVED. IN CARIBOU, ONLY 8.7

INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED WHICH MADE IT THE 7TH LEAST SNOWY

FEBRUARY ON RECORD.

A BIG WARM-UP AT THE END OF THE MONTH COMBINED WITH RAIN CAUSED MUCH

OF THE SNOW ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS TO MELT. BY THE END OF THE MONTH

THE SNOW DEPTH ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM ZERO TO AN INCH IN

BANGOR AND ALONG THE COAST (DUE TO RAIN CHANGING TO SNOW DURING THE

EVENING OF THE 29TH). ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE

REGION, THE SNOW DEPTH RANGED FROM 2 TO 8 INCHES, BUT WITH LOCALLY A

FOOT OR MORE ACROSS THE HIGHEST TERRAIN. THE SNOW DEPTH AT THE END

OF THE MONTH WAS WELL BELOW AVERAGE ACROSS ALL AREAS.

THE WARM-UP AND RAIN AT THE END OF THE MONTH WIPED OUT SO MUCH OF

THE SNOWPACK ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS AND THE SNOWMOBILE TRAILS BECAME

POOR AND IN MOST AREAS THE SNOWMOBILE SEASON ENDED. THE LACK OF SNOW

HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPLICATIONS FOR WINTER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

CAUSING MANY TO BE POSTPONED OR CANCELLED.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER`S FORECAST FOR MARCH 2024 INDICATES

THAT THERE ARE STRONG SIGNALS THAT POINT TOWARD ABOVE AVERAGE

TEMPERATURES. THERE ARE NO STRONG SIGNALS THAT POINT TOWARD EITHER

ABOVE OR BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION. TEMPERATURES SLOWLY MODERATE

DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH AND LOWS/HIGHS IN THE UPPER SINGLE

DIGITS/MID 20S F OVER THE FAR NORTH TO AROUND 15F/35F ALONG THE

DOWNEAST COAST AT THE START OF THE MONTH, AND FROM LOWS/HIGHS IN THE

LOW 20S/NEAR 40F IN THE FAR NORTH TO AROUND 25F/45F AT THE DOWNEAST

COAST. AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IS CLOSE TO 3 INCHES ACROSS THE REGION,

AND AVERAGE SNOWFALL IS 15.2 INCHES IN BANGOR AND 21.4 INCHES IN

CARIBOU. OVER AN HOUR AND 40 MINUTES OF DAYLIGHT IS GAINED DURING

THE MONTH OF MARCH. DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS THIS YEAR ON MARCH

10TH.

$$

CB/VJN