2025 Year End Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...2025 ANNUAL CLIMATE REVIEW FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE...

OVERALL, 2025 WAS A WARMER THAN AVERAGE YEAR, WITH YEARLY AVERAGE

MAXIMUM, MINIMUM, AND AVERAGE TEMPERATURES BEING ABOVE 

CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL ACROSS ALL CLIMATE SITES. PRECIPITATION WAS 

BELOW NORMAL, WITH A PROLONGED DROUGHT PERIOD ONGOING IN MAINE FROM 

THE SUMMER INTO THE WINTER. THIS YEAR DID NOT RANK IN THE TOP 10 FOR

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, PRECIPITATION, OR SNOWFALL. DESPITE BEING AN 

ABOVE NORMAL YEAR FOR AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, THIS WAS THE COOLEST

YEAR FOR ALL FOUR CLIMATE SITES SINCE 2019.

CARIBOU RECEIVED 118.2 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN THE 2025 CALENDAR YEAR,

WHICH IS RIGHT AROUND CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL. BANGOR ONLY RECEIVED 

60.5 INCHES OF SNOW, WHICH IS ABOUT 14.1 INCHES BELOW THEIR 

CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL.

THERE WERE A FEW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS THAT REACHED INTO THE

TOP 10 CATEGORY FOR CARIBOU, BANGOR, AND MILLINOCKET. FOR CARIBOU, 

THE 3RD WARMEST RECORDED ANNUAL MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 94°F WAS  

REACHED IN AUGUST. THIS YEAR, CARIBOU ALSO HAD THE 6TH 

WARMEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 68°F. BANGOR RECORDED ITS 4TH HIGHEST 

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD OF 98°F IN AUGUST AS WELL. MILLINOCKET

RECORDED ITS 2ND HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IN AUGUST AT

97°F.

IN TERMS OF PRECIPITATION, THIS WAS THE 21ST DRIEST YEAR IN BANGOR, 

RECEIVING 36.08 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION, COMPARED TO THE 

CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL 41.71 INCHES. CARIBOU OBSERVED 39.03

INCHES OF PRECIPITATION, COMPARED TO THE CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL OF 

40.7 INCHES.

JANUARY TEMPERATURES WERE SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE, WITH BELOW AVERAGE 

PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL. THERE WAS 17.2 INCHES OF SNOW IN 

CARIBOU, WHICH IS A 7.8 INCH DEVIATION FROM NORMAL. THE MAXIMUM SNOW 

DEPTH FOR CARIBOU WAS ONLY 5 INCHES, BEATING THE PREVIOUS 6 

INCHES RECORDED IN 1992. THERE WAS 10.1 INCHES OF SNOW IN BANGOR,

WHICH IS ABOUT 8.5 INCH DEVIATION FROM NORMAL. THERE WAS A WINTER

STORM JANUARY 1ST-3RD, THAT PRODUCED 6-12 INCHES OF SNOW IN THE 

NORTH WOODS. THERE WAS ALSO ANOTHER STORM THAT PRODUCED 6-10 INCHES 

ALONG THE DOWNEAST COAST ON DECEMBER 19TH-20TH. THE BELOW AVERAGE

SNOWFALL DID NEGATIVELY IMPACT THE WINTER RECREATIONAL SEASON. IN 

TERMS OF DROUGHT, THERE WAS ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS IN THE 

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS TO SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY, NORTHWARDS, ENDING 

AT THE ST. JOHN VALLEY. THERE WAS MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) CONDITIONS 

SOUTHWARDS, INCLUDING THE DOWNEAST COAST. 4 SNOW SQUALL WARNINGS 

WERE ISSUED IN JANUARY.

TEMPERATURES IN FEBRUARY WERE AROUND, TO SLIGHTLY BELOW, AVERAGE. 

THERE WAS ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL. CARIBOU HAD 35.5 

INCHES OF SNOW, WHICH WAS 10 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. BANGOR SAW 21.3 

INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN THE MONTH, WHICH IS ABOUT 3.8 INCHES HIGHER  

THAN AVERAGE. DESPITE THIS ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION, DROUGHT 

CONDITIONS FROM JANUARY PERSISTED THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY. TWO 

SIGNIFICANT SNOW SYSTEMS OCCURRED, ONE OF THE 13TH, AND ONE ON THE 

16TH-17TH,WHERE BOTH EVENTS RECORDED OVER 10 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN 

THE KATAHDIN AREA, AND MIXED WINTRY PRECIP FELL IN BANGOR AND 

DOWNEAST. 3 SNOW SQUALL WARNINGS WERE ISSUED IN FEBRUARY.

IN MARCH, OBSERVED TEMPERATURES WERE ABOVE AVERAGE, WITH ABOVE 

AVERAGE PRECIPITATION. SNOWFALL TOTALS WERE AROUND CLIMATOLOGICAL 

NORMAL IN THE NORTH, AND BELOW NORMAL IN THE SOUTH. CARIBOU REPORTED 

22.4 INCHES OF SNOW, ABOUT 1 INCH ABOVE NORMAL. BANGOR, HOWEVER, 

ONLY REPORTED 7.7 INCHES OF SNOW, WHICH IS 7.5 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. 

THE MOST SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EVENT IN THE NORTH OCCURRED FROM THE 

5TH-7TH, WHERE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN THE NORTH, TRANSITIONED 

TO RAIN, AND THEN 6 -11 INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS 

REGION. SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW OCCURRED DURING THIS 

EVENT, HEAVILY IMPACTING TRAVEL. THERE WAS ALSO A SIGNIFICANT WARM 

UP PERIOD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH, RESULTING IN SOME ICE 

JAM FLOODING ALONG THE AROOSTOOK RIVER. SNOWMELT FROM THE WARM UP 

PERIOD NEGATIVELY IMPACTED WINTER RECREATION IN NORTHERN MAINE. 

GREEN UP, OR WHEN SNOW MELTS AND VEGETATION BEGINS TO GROW, OCCURRED 

EARLIER THAN CLIMATOLOGICALLY NORMAL. DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVED 

WITH THE SNOWMELT AND RAIN, HOWEVER, AS CONDITIONS UPGRADED FROM 

MODERATE DROUGHT (D1)/ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS (D0), TO MOSTLY 

ABNORMALLY DRY CONDITIONS (D0)/NO DROUGHT. ONLY COASTAL HANCOCK AND 

WASHINGTON COUNTIES, ALONG WITH MOST OF PISCATAQUIS COUNTY AND 

PORTIONS OF THE NORTH WOODS, HAD ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS.

TEMPERATURES IN APRIL WERE AROUND, TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE, CLIMATOLOGICAL 

NORMAL, WITH ABOVE NORMAL PRECIPITATION. SNOWFALL TOTALS BEGAN TO 

DWINDLE IN APRIL, AS SPRING BEGAN TO APPROACH THE NORTHEAST REGION. 

CARIBOU REPORTED 8.7 INCHES OF SNOW, WHICH IS 0.4 INCHES ABOVE 

NORMAL. BANGOR, HOWEVER, ONLY RECORDED AN INCH OF SNOW, WHICH IS 2.7 

INCHES BELOW NORMAL. APRIL WAS THE LAST MONTH FOR ACCUMULATING 

SNOWFALL FOR THE 2024-2025 WINTER SEASON. ICE ALONG THE RIVERS WAS 

ALL BROKEN UP AND MOVED OUT BY THE END OF MONTH AS WELL, WITH ONLY A 

FEW LAKES STILL HAVING SOME LEFTOVER ICE. BY THE END OF APRIL, ALL 

OF NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE WAS OUT OF DROUGHT

CONDITIONS.

IN MAY THERE WAS AROUND, TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE, AVERAGE TEMPERATURES, 

AND WARMER THAN AVERAGE MINIMUM TEMPERATURES. FOR THE FIRST TIME 

SINCE 2017, THERE WAS NO RECORDED FREEZE IN BANGOR. THERE WAS ALSO 

SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE AVERAGE PRECIPITATION. THIS WAS THE 10TH WETTEST

MAY FOR CARIBOU, RECEIVING 5.04 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION, AND THE 6TH 

WETTEST MAY FOR BANGOR, RECEIVING 5.44 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. 

THERE WAS 1 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED IN MAY.

THERE WERE AROUND AVERAGE TEMPERATURES RECORDED IN JUNE, AND 

SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN 

MAINE. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT HEAT WAVE EVENT ACROSS THE NORTHEAST 

ON JUNE 24TH, BREAKING MULTIPLE DAILY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORDS 

ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. BANGOR REACHED 98°F, WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS 

93°F DAILY RECORD FROM 1995. THIS 98°F ALSO TIED FOR MONTHLY RECORD  

HIGH IN FOR JUNE, WITH 1941. HOULTON TIED WITH THE PREVIOUS 

RECORD FROM 1995 AT 92°F. CARIBOU REACHED 90°F AND MILLINOCKET 

REACHED 94°F, JUST A FEW DEGREES BELOW THEIR PREVIOUS RECORDS 

FROM 1995, AND 1912, RESPECTIVELY. HEAT INDEXES FOR THE DAY 

GENERALLY RANGED FROM 95-106°F DURING THIS EVENT. THERE WERE 7 

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ISSUED IN JUNE.

IN JULY, ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE OBSERVED AT ALL CLIMATE 

SITES. THERE WAS NEAR AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IN NORTHERN MAINE, BUT 

SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IN CENTRAL AND

SOUTHERN MAINE. THIS IS THE 4TH DRIEST JULY ON RECORD FOR BANGOR,

SINCE 1926. NO DROUGHT WAS RECORDED YET IN JULY. THERE WERE 29 

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ISSUED IN JULY.

AUGUST RECORDED AROUND, TO SLIGHTLY BELOW, AVERAGE TEMPERATURES FOR 

NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE, WITH ABOVE NORMAL MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES. 

THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT HEAT WAVE THAT OCCURRED AUGUST 10TH-13TH, 

THAT BROKE MULTIPLE DAILY HIGH RECORDS. CARIBOU REACHED 94°F ON THE 

11TH-13TH, BREAKING DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM 2020, 1944, AND 

2021. MILLINOCKET REACHED 97°F ON AUGUST 11TH, AND 96°F ON THE 12TH,

BREAKING THE PREVIOUS DAILY HIGH RECORDS IN 1944. IT ALSO RECORDED 

95°F ON THE 13TH, TYING WITH THE PREVIOUS DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE 

RECORD FROM 1947 AND 2002. THERE WAS BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION IN 

AUGUST AS WELL, LEADING TO DEGRADING DROUGHT CONDITIONS. IT BEGAN AS 

ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS IN COASTAL HANCOCK AND  WASHINGTON 

COUNTIES ON AUGUST 5TH, WHICH QUICKLY EXPANDED THROUGHOUT THE 

MONTH. ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS WERE EXTENDED UP TO 

SOUTHERN/EASTERN AROOSTOOK, NORTHERN PENOBSCOT, AND NORTH/CENTRAL 

PISCATAQUIS. THERE WAS MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) IN INTERIOR DOWNEAST 

AND SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS. DOWNEAST DEGRADED TO SEVERE DROUGHT (D2). 

REPORTS OF CROPS DYING BEGAN TO OCCUR IN AUGUST, ESPECIALLY IN 

AROOSTOOK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. THERE WERE 4 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM

WARNINGS ISSUED IN AUGUST.

IN SEPTEMBER, THERE WERE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT NORTHERN  

AND  EASTERN MAINE. DROUGHT CONDITIONS EXPANDED THROUGHOUT THE 

STATE, WITH SIGNIFICANTLY BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION DEFICITS AT 

ALL CLIMATE SITES. BY THE END OF SEPTEMBER, ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) 

CONDITIONS EXPANDED INTO THE NORTH WOODS AND REMAINED IN NORTHERN 

PISCATAQUIS, PENOBSCOT, SOMERSET AND EASTERN AROOSTOOK. MODERATE 

DROUGHT (D1) CONDITIONS WERE IN SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK, CENTRAL 

PISCATAQUIS AND PENOBSCOT. SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) EXTENDED THROUGH 

CENTRAL MAINE IN THE PENOBSCOT REGION, INTERIOR DOWNEAST, AND 

WASHINGTON COUNTY’S COASTAL AREA. LASTLY, HANCOCK COUNTY’S COASTLINE 

UPGRADED TO EXTREME DROUGHT (D3) CONDITIONS BY THE END OF THE MONTH. 

THERE WERE MANY DRY WELL REPORTS, AS WELL AS SOME LOCATIONS 

OBSERVING TREES LOSE THEIR LEAVES EARLIER THAN NORMAL. NO 

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OCCURRED IN SEPTEMBER.

THERE WERE ABOVE CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL VALUES FOR DAILY MAXIMUM, 

MINIMUM, AND AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IN OCTOBER. CARIBOU BROKE ITS ALL-

TIME HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 83°F, DURING 

A HEAT EVENT ON OCTOBER 6TH. PRECIPITATION TOTALS FOR NORTHERN AND 

EASTERN MAINE WERE BELOW AVERAGE THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. DROUGHT 

CONDITIONS CONTINUED, AND DETERIORATED, THROUGHOUT THE STATE 

DURING OCTOBER, NEGATIVELY IMPACTING AGRICULTURE AND CONTINUING 

TO DRY UP WELLS. PORTIONS OF NORTHERN SOMERSET, NORTHWESTERN 

AROOSTOOK, CENTRAL AROOSTOOK AND NORTHERN PENOBSCOT, DETERIORATED 

TO MODERATE DROUGHT (D1). CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK, NORTHERN

AND CENTRAL PENOBSCOT, PISCATAQUIS, AND PORTIONS OF NORTHERN 

SOMERSET ALL BECAME, OR MAINTAINED, SEVERE DROUGHT (D2). NO 

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS OCCURRED IN OCTOBER.

DURING NOVEMBER, THERE WERE BELOW CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL VALUES 

RECORDED FOR DAILY MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES, SNOWFALL, AND 

PRECIPITATION. DAILY MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE ABOVE NORMAL. DROUGHT 

CONDITIONS PERSISTED, CONTINUING TO DRY UP WELLS THROUGHOUT THE 

STATE. THAT BEING SAID, PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND DOWNEAST MAINE HAD 

DROUGHT IMPROVEMENT. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, NORTHERN SOMERSET, 

NORTHWESTERN AND CENTRAL AROOSTOOK, NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS, BANGOR 

REGION, AND PORTIONS OF HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES, WERE 

INCLUDED IN SEVERE DROUGHT (D2). OVERALL, DROUGHT CONDITIONS 

DETERIORATED IN THE CROWN OF MAINE, BUT THE REST OF NORTHERN, 

CENTRAL, AND DOWNEAST MAINE IMPROVED. THERE WAS SOME IMPROVEMENT IN 

LAKE, POND, RIVER AND STREAM LEVELS. NO SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER 

EVENTS OCCURRED IN NOVEMBER.

LASTLY, IN DECEMBER, OBSERVED TEMPERATURES WERE OVERALL BELOW 

CLIMATOLOGICAL NORMAL FOR DAILY MAXIMUM, MINIMUM, AND AVERAGE DAILY 

TEMPERATURES. AROUND, TO SLIGHTLY BELOW, AVERAGE PRECIPITATION FELL 

AT ALL CLIMATE SITES. DROUGHT CONDITIONS PERSISTED IN NORTHERN AND 

CENTRAL MAINE, AS FROST DEPTH CONTINUED TO INCREASE THIS MONTH, 

RESTRICTING ANY MOISTURE TO PENETRATE THE SOIL. PORTIONS OF 

WASHINGTON COUNTY DID HAVE SOME DROUGHT CONDITIONS IMPROVE BY THE 

END OF THE MONTH, AS SNOW/RAINFALL ADDED SOME MOISTURE, RESULTING IN 

THE COUNTY IMPROVING FROM SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) TO MODERATE DROUGHT 

(D1). IN TERMS OF SNOWFALL, HOWEVER, THERE WAS MORE SNOW THAN NORMAL 

AT BANGOR, BUT BELOW NORMAL SNOWFALL FOR CARIBOU. THERE WERE 

MULTIPLE SNOWSTORMS IN DECEMBER THROUGHOUT NORTHERN AND EASTERN 

MAINE AS WELL, ADDING ENOUGH SNOW TO PROVIDE A SNOW PACK DEEP ENOUGH 

TO BEGIN THE SKI AND SNOWMOBILING SEASON, PRIMARILY IN THE NORTH 

AND CENTRAL REGION. ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT THAT OCCURRED  

IN DECEMBER, WAS A HIGH WIND EVENT THAT RESULTED IN MULTIPLE POWER 

OUTAGES, DOWNED TREES, AND ROAD CLOSURES, PRIMARILY IN DOWNEAST 

MAINE. HIGHEST WIND GUSTS WERE IN PENOBSCOT COUNTY, WITH A 67 MPH 

GUSTS RECORDED IN MILLINOCKET. 2 SNOW SQUALL WARNINGS WERE ISSUED IN 

DECEMBER.

$$

ASB