...SPRING 2026 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...
SPRING 2026 TRENDS:
CARIBOU:
- SNOWFALL WAS 13.4 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE. THIS WAS THE 14TH
LEAST SNOWY SPRING ON RECORD FOR CARIBOU, ONLY RECORDING 17.1
INCHES OF SNOW BETWEEN MARCH AND MAY.
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.4 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. A
DAILY RECORD LOW WAS REACHED ON MAY 23RD AT CARIBOU, MEASURING 30
DEGREES. THE OLD RECORD WAS 31 DEGREES IN 2007. ANOTHER DAILY
MINIMUM RECORD WAS TIED ON MAY 30TH, WHEN THE STATION RECORDED 32
DEGREES. THE OTHER RECORD WAS IN 1967.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 0.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 3.78 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 3RD
WETTEST SPRING ON RECORD FOR CARIBOU, BEHIND 2005 AND 1983,
RESPECTIVELY. A DAILY RECORD FOR PRECIPITATION WAS BROKEN MAY
7TH, WHEN 1.3 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 1.03
INCHES IN 2017. THERE WAS ANOTHER DAILY MAXIMUM RAINFALL RECORD
BROKEN ON MAY 27TH, AS 1.25 INCHES OF RAIN FELL, BEATING THE
PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.17 INCHES IN 1947.
BANGOR:
- SNOWFALL WAS 9.2 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE. THIS WAS THE 19TH LEAST
SNOWY SPRING ON RECORD FOR BANGOR, ONLY REACHING 9.7 INCHES OF
SNOW BETWEEN MARCH AND MAY.
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL. THERE WAS A
DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD TIED IN BANGOR ON MAY 19TH,
RECORDING 89 DEGREES. THERE WAS A DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD
BROKEN ON MAY 20TH, RECORDING 87 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS
86 DEGREES IN 1996.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL. THAT SAID, THIS
SPRING TIED THE 11TH HIGHEST SEASONAL MINIMUM TEMPERATURE (59
DEGREES) ON RECORD, ON MAY 20TH.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL. THAT SAID, THIS SPRING
TIED THE 7TH HIGHEST SEASONAL MAXIMUM AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (73
DEGREES) ON RECORD, ON MAY 20TH.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 0.4 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THAT SAID, A DAILY
RECORD FOR RAINFALL WAS BROKEN ON MAY 20TH, WHEN 1.26 INCHES OF
RAIN FELL, COMPARED TO THE 1.02 INCHES OF RAIN IN 1949.
MILLINOCKET:
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 0.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 1.63 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 11TH
WETTEST SPRING ON RECORD FOR MILLINOCKET.
HOULTON:
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.1 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL. HOULTON
RECORDED ITS 11TH HIGHEST SEASONAL MINIMUM TEMPERATURE (50
DEGREES) DURING THE SPRING, ON MAY 20TH.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 0.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 0.91 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
WEATHER EVENTS:
- THERE WERE A FEW LINGERING SNOW STORMS THIS SPRING SEASON. 2
WINTER STORM WARNINGS WERE ISSUED, 1 IN MARCH, AND 1 IN APRIL.
BOTH WERE MIXED PRECIPITATION EVENTS.
- THERE WERE 8 WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES, 6 IN MARCH AND 2 IN
APRIL.
- THERE WAS 1 COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IN MARCH. THE COLDEST
RECORDED WIND CHILL WAS -28F AT FRENCHVILLE AIRPORT.
- 1 FLOOD WARNING IN MARCH FOR AN ICE JAM ON PISCATAQUIS RIVER.
FLOOD WARNING LATER REPLACED WITH A FLOOD ADVISORY. 2 OTHER FLOOD
ADVISORIES WERE ISSUED FOR ICE JAMS - 1 ALONG THE PLEASANT RIVER,
AND 1 ALONG THE MEDUXNEKEAG RIVER. SPRING ICE OUT FOR ALL RIVERS
BY THE END OF APRIL.
- SNOWPACK DETERIORATED DURING THE SPRING, COMPLETELY MELTING
OFF DOWNEAST BY MARCH, AND APRIL IN THE NORTH.
- THERE WAS 1 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ON MAY 5TH, IN WESTERN
AROOSTOOK, NORTHEAST SOMERSET, AND NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS
COUNTIES.
- FROST/FREEZE PROGRAM BEGAN IN MAY, AND MOST OF THE DOWNEAST
REGION BEGAN RECEIVING FROST HEADLINES BY MAY 11ST. THE PROGRAM
EXPANDED TO THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, UPPER PENOBSCOT VALLEY, AND
SOUTHERN TO EASTERN AROOSTOOK BY MAY 21ST. THE NORTH WOODS WAS
INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM JUNE 1ST. 4 FROST ADVISORIES WERE ISSUED
IN MAY, AND 1 FREEZE WARNING WAS ISSUED.
DROUGHT:
- IN MARCH, DROUGHT BEGAN AS SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) IN WESTERN
AROOSTOOK, NORTHERN SOMERSET, NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS, SOUTHERN
PENOBSCOT, AND CENTRAL/SOUTHERN HANCOCK COUNTIES. MODERATE
DROUGHT (D1) ELSEWHERE IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE. CONDITIONS
IMPROVED SLIGHTLY IN MID-TO-LATE APRIL, AS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST,
CENTRAL, AND SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK, NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PENOBSCOT,
NORTHERN HANCOCK, AND NORTHERN AND CENTRAL WASHINGTON ALL
IMPROVED TO ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS. WESTERN AROOSTOOK,
NORTHERN SOMERSET, NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PISCATAQUIS, MOST OF
SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT, COASTAL HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES WERE
IN MODERATE DROUGHT (D1). SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS AND WESTERN
PENOBSCOT WERE IN SEVERE DROUGHT (D2). IN MAY, CONTINUED
IMPROVEMENTS OCCURRED AS THE MAJORITY OF INTERIOR AND COASTAL
HANCOCK COUNTY, ALONG WITH CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF COASTAL
WASHINGTON COUNTY, IMPROVED TO ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS. BY
MAY 12TH, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK, PORTIONS OF NORTHERN
PENOBSCOT, AND NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES, IMPROVED TO NO
DROUGHT. SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS AND EASTERN PENOBSCOT IMPROVED TO
MODERATE DROUGHT (D1). BY MAY 19TH, MOST OF CENTRAL WASHINGTON
WAS REMOVED FROM DROUGHT.
CLIMATE OUTLOOK:
- TEMPERATURES: FOR SUMMER (JUNE, JULY, AUGUST), CLIMATE
PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
- PRECIPITATION: FOR SUMMER, IS FORECASTING ABOVE NORMAL
PRECIPITATION IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
- ENSO: PER CPC, ENSO-NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT, WITH AN EL
NINO WATCH IN EFFECT.. EL NINO HAS A 82% CHANCE OF DEVELOPING IN
MAY- JULY, PERSISTING THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR.
$$
ASB
