April 2024 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

APRIL 2024 FINISHED WITH ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND BELOW 

AVERAGE TO WELL BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION.

TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM 0.5 TO 2.0 DEGREES (F) 

ABOVE THE 30-YEAR 1991-2020 NORMALS. HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOT ENOUGH 

THAT ANY OF THE LONG TERM CLIMATE SITES HAD A TOP 10 WARMEST 

APRIL. 

PRECIPITATION RANGED FROM AROUND 33 PERCENT OF NORMAL IN 

NORTHEASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY TO AROUND 90 PERCENT OF NORMAL NEAR 

GREENVILLE. THE TOTAL RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) FOR CARIBOU WAS 1.02 

INCHES. THIS MADE APRIL 2024 THE 6TH DRIEST ON RECORD FOR CARIBOU, 

WHERE RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1939. AT HOULTON, 1.56 INCHES OF RAIN 

(AND MELTED SNOW) FELL DURING THE MONTH. THIS MADE APRIL 2024 THE 

13TH DRIEST ON RECORD FOR HOULTON, WHERE RECORDS DATE BACK TO 1948. 

NO OTHER SITES RECORDED A TOP 15 DRIEST OR WETTEST APRIL ON RECORD.

SNOWFALL WAS ABOVE NORMAL FROM THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS SOUTHWARD TO 

THE BANGOR REGION AND DOWNEAST. IN BANGOR, 9.0 INCHES OF SNOW FELL 

DURING THE MONTH, WHICH WAS 5.3 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. IT WAS ALSO 

THE 14TH HIGHEST TOTAL FOR ANY APRIL SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 1926. 

ALL OF THIS SNOW FELL DURING A LONG-DURATION EVENT ON APRIL 3RD INTO 

APRIL 5TH. THE MAXIMUM SNOWFALL WITH THIS STORM OCCURRED IN WESTERN 

PORTIONS OF HANCOCK, PENOBSCOT AND PISCATAQUIS COUNTIES WHERE 12 TO 

16 INCHES OF SNOW FELL. AMOUNTS DECREASED TO THE NORTH AND EAST, 

TAPERING TO AROUND 1 TO 3 INCHES IN NORTHEASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY. 

AT CARIBOU, JUST 1.4 INCHES OF SNOW FELL DURING APRIL 2024. THIS WAS 

6.9 INCHES BELOW NORMAL AND TIED FOR THE 7TH LEAST SNOWY APRIL ON 

RECROD.

AT THE START OF THE MONTH, THE SNOW DEPTH WAS ZERO NEAR BANGOR AND 

AT THE COAST. ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AREAS, SNOW DEPTH RANGED 

FROM 4 TO 9 INCHES IN LOWER ELEVATIONS, AND 10 TO 18 INCHES AT 

HIGHER ELEVATIONS. IN CARIBOU, SNOW DEPTH DECREASED TO A TRACE ON 

APRIL 7TH AND REMAINED THERE (OR LOWER) THROUGH THE END OF THE 

MONTH. MOST OTHER PLACES IN THE NORTH HAD ZERO SNOW DEPTH BY THE 

15TH, WITH SOME OF THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS NOT REACHING ZERO SNOW 

DEPTH UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH.

FOLLOWING THE APRIL 3-5 STORM, THE SNOW DEPTH IN BANGOR 

REACHED 9 INCHES ON APRIL 5TH. THIS WAS THE LARGEST SNOW DEPTH OF 

THE 2023-2024 SEASON AT BANGOR. SNOW DEPTH AT BANGOR FELL TO ZERO ON 

APRIL 9TH AND REMAINED THERE THROUGH THE MONTH.

REMAINING ICE ON THE SAINT JOHN AND ALLAGASH RIVERS WENT OUT BY THE 

SECOND WEEK OF APRIL. MOOSEHEAD LAKE REPORTED ICE OUT ON APRIL 20TH. 

THIS WAS EARLIER THAN AVERAGE, BUT STILL LATER THAN THE RECORD EARLY 

ICE OUT ON APRIL 14, 1945. ICE WENT OUT ON ALL NORTHERN LAKES BY THE 

END OF THE MONTH.

THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER'S FORECAST FOR MAY 2024 INDICATES THAT 

THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. 

THERE ARE NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS FOR ABOVE OR BELOW AVERAGE 

PRECIPITATION.

AT THE START OF THE MONTH OF MAY, AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE FROM THE MID 

50S IN THE NORTH TO AROUND 60 DEGREES NEAR BANGOR. AVERAGE LOWS 

RANGE FROM THE MID 30S IN THE NORTH TO NEAR 40 DEGREES AT THE COAST. 

BY THE END OF THE MONTH, AVERAGE HIGHS RISE TO THE UPPER 60S FOR 

MOST OF THE AREA, AND NEAR 70 DEGREES IN BANGOR. 

ON AVERAGE, 3 TO 4 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION IS OBSERVED ACROSS 

THE AREA DURING THE MONTH OF MAY. SNOW CAN STILL FALL DURING THE 

MONTH OF MAY. HOWEVER, ANY SNOW GENERALLY MELTS QUICKLY AFTER IT 

FALLS OWING TO HIGHER SUN ANGLE AND WARMER TEMPERATURES. AT CARIBOU, 

THE AVERAGE SNOWFALL FOR MAY IS 0.8 INCHES. MEASURABLE SNOW HAS 

OCCURRED IN 23 YEARS, AND AT LEAST A TRACE OF SNOW IN 63 YEARS SINCE 

RECORDS BEGAN. IN BANGOR, THERE HAS BEEN MEASURABLE SNOW IN MAY 6 

TIMES AND AT LEAST A TRACE IN 23 YEARS. FROST CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME 

OF THE MONTH ACROSS THE NORTHERN VALLEYS, BUT BECOMES LESS COMMON BY 

MID TO LATE MONTH ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION.