May 2024 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

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Public Information Statement

National Weather Service Caribou ME

525 PM EDT Sun Jun 2 2024

...MAY 2024 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...

MAY 2024 FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES.

PRECIPITATION WAS MORE VARIABLE AND IN GENERAL WAS BELOW AVERAGE

NORTH AND NEAR AVERAGE TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE SOUTH.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM 2.5 TO 4.5 DEGREES (F)

ABOVE THE 30-YEAR 1991-2020 NORMALS. IN CARIBOU IT TIED WITH 2001

AS THE 4TH WARMEST MAY ON RECORD. BOTH HOULTON AND MILLINOCKET

OBSERVED THEIR 7TH WARMEST MAY ON RECORD, AND IN BANGOR IT TIED

WITH 2015 FOR THE 12TH WARMEST MAY ON RECORD. TEMPERATURES WERE A

BIT BELOW AVERAGE FROM THE 8TH THROUGH THE 12TH AND AGAIN THE LAST

FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH, OTHERWISE TEMPERATURES WERE CONSISTENTLY

ABOVE AVERAGE.

THE LAST WIDESPREAD FROST OCCURRED BETWEEN THE 10TH AND 12TH OF

THE MONTH, HOWEVER, NORTHERN VALLEYS DID LOCALLY EXPERIENCE A

LIGHT FROST IN SPOTS DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS OF THE MONTH.

PRECIPITATION MOSTLY RANGED FROM 50 TO 90 PERCENT OF NORMAL, BUT

IN PART OF SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT AND WESTERN HANCOCK COUNTY

PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM 100 TO 130 PERCENT OF NORMAL. FOR MOST

AREAS THE FIRST HALF OF THE MONTH WAS QUITE DRY WITH MORE FREQUENT

SHOWERS DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE MONTH. THE HEAVIEST RAIN

EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 28TH WHEN PARTS OF PISCATAQUIS AND SOUTHERN

PENOBSCOT COUNTIES OBSERVED FROM 1.5 TO 2.25 INCHES OF RAIN.

4.05 INCHES OF EVAPORATION WAS OBSERVED DURING THE MONTH IN

CARIBOU WITH A TOTAL OF 2.71 INCHES OF RAIN. THIS CAUSED THE SOILS

TO DRY OUT SOME BY THE END OF THE MONTH, BUT DUE TO A SOAKING

RAIN IN THE 28TH THERE WERE NO DROUGHT CONDITIONS OBSERVED. THE

U.S. DROUGHT MONITOR DID INDICATE UNUSUALLY DRY CONDITIONS IN

NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AND IN FAR NORTHERN SECTIONS OF BOTH

SOMERSET AND PISCATAQUIS COUNTIES BY THE END OF THE MONTH.

THE FIRST SEVERE WEATHER OF THE SEASON WAS OBSERVED ON THE 23RD

WHEN THUNDERSTORMS CAUSED TREES TO BE KNOCKED DOWN IN PARTS OF

AROOSTOOK AND PENOBSCOT COUNTIES.

GREEN-UP THIS YEAR AT CARIBOU WAS OBSERVED ON MAY 5TH, WHICH WAS A

FEW DAYS EARLIER THAN AVERAGE.

A VERY STRONG GEOMAGNETIC STORM MADE VIVID AURORAS VISIBLE IN MANY

AREAS ON THE NIGHTS OF MAY 10TH THROUGH THE 12TH.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER`S FORECAST FOR JUNE 2024 INDICATES

THAT THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD ABOVE AVERAGE

TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.

AT THE START OF THE MONTH OF JUNE, AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE FROM THE

UPPER 60S IN THE NORTH TO LOW 70S NEAR BANGOR. AVERAGE LOWS RANGE

FROM THE MID 40S IN THE NORTH TO UPPER 40S AT THE COAST. BY THE

END OF THE MONTH, AVERAGE HIGHS RISE TO THE MID TO UPPER 70S FOR

MOST OF THE AREA, BUT A BIT COOLER ALONG THE COAST.

ON AVERAGE, 3.5 TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN IS OBSERVED ACROSS THE AREA

DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE. THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING AN INCREASING

THREAT DURING THE MONTH AND JUNE ON AVERAGE PRODUCES THE 2ND

HIGHEST REPORTS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BEHIND ONLY JULY. THE

OCCURRENCE OF COASTAL FOG INCREASES DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE.

THE SUMMER SOLSTICE THIS YEAR WILL OCCUR AT JUNE 20TH AT 4:50 PM

EDT. THE EARLIEST SUNRISES OF THE YEAR OCCUR AROUND THE MIDDLE OF

THE MONTH, AND THE LATEST SUNSETS DURING THE MID TO LATE MONTH

PERIOD.

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CB/VJN/NC