CXUS51 KCAR 260031 RRA CLMBGR CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 519 PM EDT MON APR 01 2024 ................................... ...THE BANGOR ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH 2024... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1925 TO 2024 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 84 03/22/2012 LOW -16 03/02/2001 HIGHEST 54 03/13 MM MM 52 03/27 LOWEST 7 03/01 MM MM 10 03/05 AVG. MAXIMUM 43.3 40.1 3.2 42.1 AVG. MINIMUM 27.6 21.1 6.5 25.2 MEAN 35.4 30.6 4.8 33.6 DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0 DAYS MAX <= 32 3 5.9 -2.9 1 DAYS MIN <= 32 22 27.1 -5.1 27 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 1.8 -1.8 0 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 7.36 1999 MINIMUM 0.26 1965 TOTALS 8.99 5.77 DAILY AVG. 0.29 0.10 0.19 0.06 DAYS >= .01 16 11.3 4.7 13 DAYS >= .10 14 7.1 6.9 5 DAYS >= .50 5 2.0 3.0 0 DAYS >= 1.00 4 0.6 3.4 0 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 1.74 03/28 TO 03/29 0.46 03/23 TO 03/23 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 41.5 1956 TOTALS 9.5 15.2 -5.7 20.5 SINCE 7/1 36.5 70.9 -34.4 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. 1 4 DAYS >= 1.0 2 3.8 -1.8 4 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 6 03/24 15 03/05 24 HR TOTAL MM MM DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 908 1066 -158 963 SINCE 7/1 5667 6530 -863 MM COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0 SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 9.3 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 40/120 DATE 03/10 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 63/130 DATE 03/10 SKY COVER POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.73 NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 3 NUMBER OF DAYS PC 11 NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 17 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 73 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 1 HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 7 LIGHT RAIN 14 FREEZING RAIN 1 LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 0 HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 3 LIGHT SNOW 10 SLEET 3 FOG 19 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 5 HAZE 0 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. * INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ...MARCH 2024 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE... MARCH 2024 FINISHED WITH WELL ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE AVERAGE TO RECORD PRECIPITATION. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM 4.5 TO 6.5 DEGREES (F) ABOVE THE 30-YEAR 1991-2020 NORMALS. IT RANKED AS THE 6TH WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD IN CARIBOU, TIED FOR THE 8TH WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD IN HOULTON, TIED FOR THE 8TH WARMEST MARCH IN MILLINOCKET, AND TIED FOR THE 8TH WARMEST IN BANGOR. PRECIPITATION WAS WELL ABOVE AVERAGE AND RANGED FROM 150 TO 250 PERCENT OF NORMAL. IN BANGOR IT WAS BY A LONG SHOT THE ALL-TIME WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD WITH 8.99 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) BREAKING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 7.36 INCHES IN 1999. IT RANKED AS THE 2ND WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD IN BANGOR DURING THE MONTHS OF JANUARY THROUGH AUGUST, AND AS THE 10TH WETTEST MONTH ON RECORD. CARIBOU ALSO OBSERVED THE ALL-TIME WETTEST MARCH ON RECORD WITH A TOTAL OF 5.74 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW), WHICH SURPASSED THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 5.27 INCHES IN 2008. A NEW ALL-TIME RECORD WAS ALSO ESTABLISHED IN HOULTON WHERE A TOTAL OF 5.68 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW), WHICH SURPASSED THE 5.21 INCHES THAT WAS OBSERVED IN MARCH 1953. FINALLY, IN MILLINOCKET THE 6.17 INCHES OF RAIN (AND MELTED SNOW) RANKED AS THE 5TH WETTEST MARCH. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE PRECIPITATION DATA ON THE 24TH WAS UNAVAILABLE AT BOTH HOULTON AND MILLINOCKET DUE TO EQUIPMENT ISSUES. SNOWFALL WAS ABOVE AVERAGE IN CARIBOU WITH A TOTAL OF 29.8 INCHES FOR THE MONTH, WHICH WAS 8.4 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE. IN BANGOR, A TOTAL OF 9.5 INCHES OF SNOW WAS OBSERVED, WHICH WAS 5.7 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF THE MONTH OCCURRED ON THE 23RD INTO THE 24TH WHEN SOME LOCATIONS IN EASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY SOUTH AND EAST OF CARIBOU OBSERVED 20 TO 25 INCHES OF SNOW. THERE WERE ALSO 20 INCH+ TOTALS OBSERVED IN PARTS OF PISCATAQUIS AND NORTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY. AT THE START OF THE MONTH, THE SNOW DEPTH ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM ZERO TO AN INCH IN BANGOR AND ALONG THE COAST. ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE REGION, THE SNOW DEPTH RANGED FROM 2 TO 8 INCHES, BUT WITH LOCALLY A FOOT OR MORE ACROSS THE HIGHEST TERRAIN. AT THE END OF THE MONTH, THERE WAS NO SNOW ALONG THE COAST AND IN BANGOR, 2 TO 6 INCHES ACROSS MUCH OF THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE AREA AS WELL AS NORTH INTO CARIBOU AND THE EASTERN SAINT JOHN VALLEY, AND FROM 10 TO 20 INCHES ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE NORTH WOODS. THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER'S FORECAST FOR APRIL 2024 INDICATES THAT THE ODDS ARE SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES. THE ODDS ARE ALSO SLIGHTLY TILTED TOWARD BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS. THERE ARE NO STRONG CLIMATE SIGNAL THAT IT WILL BE UNUSUAL WET OR DRY ALONG THE COAST. DURING THE MONTH OF APRIL, THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE UNDERGO THE LARGEST RISE OF ANY MONTH OF THE YEAR. AT THE START OF THE MONTH, THE AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE FROM THE UPPER 30S ACROSS THE FAR NORTH TO THE MID 40S ALONG THE COAST. BY THE END OF THE MONTH, THE AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE FROM THE MID 50S NORTH TO NEAR 60F IN BANGOR, BUT COOLER ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST OWING TO THE COLD OCEAN WATER TEMPERATURES. ON AVERAGE 3 TO 3.75 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION IS OBSERVED. SNOWFALL AVERAGES 3.7 INCHES IN BANGOR AND 8.3 INCHES IN CARIBOU. IN MOST YEARS THE SNOW PACK MELTS OUT DURING THE FIRST HALF OF APRIL, BUT SNOW MAY REMAIN ON THE GROUND IN WOODED AREAS FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS AFTER THE SNOW HAS MELTED OUT OF IN NORTHERN TOWNS AND OPEN FIELDS. THUNDERSTORM REMAIN A FAIRLY RARE OCCURRENCE BEING OBSERVED ON AVERAGE OF ABOUT ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS. $$ CB/VJN