Winter 2025/2026 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...WINTER 2025-2026 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN

MAINE...

WINTER TRENDS:

CARIBOU:

* SNOWFALL WAS 17.2 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE

* MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.3 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 1.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* PRECIPITATION WAS 3.09 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 19TH

  DRIEST WINTER ON RECORD FOR CARIBOU.

BANGOR:

* SNOWFALL WAS 9.7 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE.

* MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 2.9 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 4.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 3.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* PRECIPITATION WAS 3.21 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. DESPITE HAVING ABOVE

  AVERAGE SNOWFALL, THIS WAS THE 6TH DRIEST WINTER FOR BANGOR ON

  RECORD. THE CURRENT RECORD FOR DRIEST WINTER IS 1979-1980, WITH

  3.89 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION.

MILLINOCKET:

* MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 12 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 1.3 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* PRECIPITATION WAS 3.36 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WAS THE

  2ND DRIEST WINTER FOR MILLINOCKET. IT COMES BEHIND 2002-2003,

  WHERE THEY ONLY GOT 2.42 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION.

HOULTON:

* MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL

* AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 1.4 DEGREE BELOW NORMAL

* PRECIPITATION WAS 4.01 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WAS THE DRIEST

  WINTER FOR HOULTON ON RECORD. IT SURPASSED THE PREVIOUS RECORD

  IN 2000-2001 FOR 4.15 INCHES.

WEATHER EVENTS:

* MULTIPLE SNOW STORMS IN THE REGION DURING THE WINTER SEASON. NWS

  CARIBOU ISSUED 7 WINTER STORM WARNINGS. THE JANUARY 25TH-27TH

  STORM WAS A SIGNIFICANT SNOW EVENT FOR THE DOWNEAST REGION, WITH

  SOME AREAS RECEIVING OVER A FOOT AND A HALF IN ACCUMULATIONS. THE

  HIGHEST SNOW TOTAL FOR THIS EVENT WAS 21 INCHES IN WASHINGTON

  COUNTY. THIS EVENT BROKE A DAILY SNOWFALL RECORD FOR BANGOR ON

  JANUARY 26TH, RECEIVING AROUND 11.7 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN A 24

  HOUR PERIOD.

* THERE WAS 1 BLIZZARD WARNING ON FEBRUARY 23RD (DOWNEAST REGION).

  HIGH GUSTY WINDS LED TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES FOR

  MOST OF THE DOWNEAST REGION.

* THERE WAS 1 EXTREME COLD WARNING ON JANUARY 24TH. THE COLDEST WIND

  CHILL ON THIS DAY WAS IN FAR NORTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AT -44F.

  CARIBOU RECORDED A DAYTIME HIGH OF -2F, WHICH IS THE SECOND LOWEST

  DAILY MAX TEMPERATURE FOR THE TOWN, JUST BEHIND THE 1961 DAILY MAX

  OF -3. JANUARY 22ND WAS ALSO THE SECOND COLDEST DAYTIME HIGH FOR

  MILLINOCKET AND HOULTON, AT 2 DEGREES AND 1 DEGREE, RESPECTIVELY.

  THIS WAS THE THIRD COLDEST DAYTIME HIGH FOR BANGOR, AT 8 DEGREES.

* NWS CARIBOU ISSUED 15 WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES.

* NWS CARIBOU ISSUED 2 SNOW SQUALL WARNINGS.

* NWS CARIBOU ISSUED 9 COLD WEATHER ADVISORIES.

* THE CONSISTENT SNOWPACK AND SNOWFALL IN THE NORTH HAD A POSITIVE

  IMPACT ON WINTER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY.

  RELATIVELY CONSISTENT SNOWPACK AROUND 10-15 INCHES AT WFO CARIBOU

  AND BANGOR AIRPORT IN FEBRUARY, WITH LITTLE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE

  IMPACTS.

DROUGHT:

* AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, NORTHERN SOMERSET, NORTHWESTERN AND

  CENTRAL AROOSTOOK, NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS, SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT, AND

  PORTIONS OF HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES, WERE INCLUDED IN

  SEVERE DROUGHT.

* THERE WAS SOME SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT BY THE END OF THE MONTH FOR

  WASHINGTON COUNTY, IMPROVING FROM SEVERE DROUGHT TO MODERATE

  DROUGHT.

* OTHERWISE, DROUGHT HAS NEITHER IMPROVED NOR DEGRADED SINCE

  DECEMBER.

* PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY BELOW AVERAGE FOR THE ENTIRE

  WINTER SEASON, MEANING THAT DROUGHT WILL PERSIST INTO SPRING.

CLIMATE OUTLOOK:

* TEMPERATURES: FOR SPRING (MARCH, APRIL, MAY), CLIMATE PREDICTION

  CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING NO STRONG SIGNALS FOR ABOVE NORMAL

  TEMPERATURES IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.

* PRECIPITATION: FOR SPRING, NO STRONG SIGNAL FOR ABOVE OR BELOW

  PRECIPITATION IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.

* ENSO: LA NINA WILL PERSIST, AND TRANSITION OVER TO ENSO-NEUTRAL IN

  THE COMING MONTH OR SO. ENSO NEUTRAL IS EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH

  SUMMER 2026.

$$

ASB

February 2026 Climate Summary for Northern and Eastern Maine

...February 2026 Climate Narrative for Northern/Eastern Maine...

February Trends: 

Caribou: 

* Snowfall was 15.5 inches below average 

   * This was the 11th least snowy February in Caribou 

* Mean maximum temperatures were 1.2 degrees above normal 

* Mean minimum temperatures were around normal

* Average temperatures were 1.7 degrees above normal  

* Precipitation was 1.77 inches below normal. This was the 4th 

  driest February for Caribou on record 

Bangor: 

* Snowfall was 4.3 inches below average 

* Mean maximum temperatures were 0.8 degrees below normal 

* Mean minimum temperatures were 6 degrees below normal 

   * 8th coldest February mean minimum temperatures on record

* Average temperatures were 3.4 degrees below normal 

* Precipitation was 1.68 inches below normal. This was the 2nd 

  driest February for Bangor on record. Current record for driest 

  February is 1987

Millinocket: 

* Mean maximum temperatures were 1.4 degrees above normal 

* Mean minimum temperatures were 0.6 degrees above normal 

* Average temperatures were 1.0 degrees above normal 

* Precipitation was 1.93 inches below normal. This was the driest 

  February for Millinocket on record. It surpassed the previous 

  record in 2024 for 0.24 inches of total precipitation 

Houlton: 

* Mean maximum temperatures were 1.3 degrees above normal 

* Mean minimum temperatures were 0.5 degrees above normal 

* Average temperatures were 0.8 degree above normal 

* Precipitation was 1.77 inches below normal. This was the driest 

  February for Houlton on record. It surpassed the previous record 

  in 2004 for 0.38 inches of total precipitation

Weather Events:

* There were a few snow storms in the region during February.  There 

  were 2 Winter Storm Warnings in February: one for February 11th 

  (Downeast Coast and Bangor region) and one for February 23rd 

  (Downeast Coast and Bangor region). The highest total for the 

  February 11th system was 9.6 inches in Washington County. The 

  February 23rd event had a highest snowfall report of 12 inches in 

  Washington County. There was 1 Blizzard Warning on February 23rd ( 

  Downeast) High gusty winds led to significantly reduced 

  visibilities for most of the Downeast region. Neither storm broke 

  records. 

* 1 Cold Weather Advisory issued for February. The coldest recorded 

  wind chill was -27F at Escort Station in northwest Aroostook, on 

  February 6th. 

* Relatively consistent snowpack around 10-15 inches at WFO Caribou 

  and Bangor airport during February. Winter recreation stayed 

  relatively consistent, with little positive or negative impacts.

* Drought conditions persisted throughout February, due to below 

  average precipitation.  

Climate Outlook: 

* Temperatures: For March, Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is 

  forecasting no strong signals for above normal temperatures in 

  northern and eastern Maine. For the season ahead, no strong signal 

  for temperatures to be anomalously above or below normal. 

* Precipitation: No strong signal for above or below precipitation 

  in northern and eastern Maine, for the month or season ahead.

* ENSO: La Nina will persist, and transition over to ENSO-neutral in 

  the coming month or so. ENSO neutral is expected to last through 

  summer 2026.

$$

ASB