Climatological Report (Monthly)
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
257
CXUS51 KCAR 020156
CLMCAR
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
839 PM EDT THU MAY 01 2025
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...THE CARIBOU ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL 2025...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1939 TO 2025
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 86 04/27/1990
LOW -4 04/06/2015
HIGHEST 75 04/29 MM MM 63 04/13
04/27
LOWEST 16 04/02 MM MM 15 04/01
AVG. MAXIMUM 47.9 47.7 0.2 50.7
AVG. MINIMUM 30.9 29.4 1.5 29.9
MEAN 39.4 38.5 0.9 40.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 0 0.0 0.0 0
DAYS MAX <= 32 0 1.1 -1.1 0
DAYS MIN <= 32 18 20.7 -2.7 21
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 0.1 -0.1 0
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 6.19 2005
MINIMUM 0.54 1967
TOTALS 4.01 1.02
DAILY AVG. 0.13 0.10 0.03 0.03
DAYS >= .01 18 13.1 4.9 11
DAYS >= .10 10 7.5 2.5 4
DAYS >= .50 3 2.0 1.0 0
DAYS >= 1.00 0 0.2 -0.2 0
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 0.85 04/26 TO 04/26 0.34 04/04 TO 04/05
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 36.4 1982
TOTALS 8.7 8.3 0.4 1.4
SINCE 7/1 106.7 117.4 -10.7 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0
DAYS >= 1.0 3 2.5 0.5 MM
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 5 04/06 4 04/01
24 HR TOTAL MM MM
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 761 794 -33 734
SINCE 7/1 7734 8498 -764 MM
COOLING TOTAL 0 0 0 0
SINCE 1/1 0 0 0 MM
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WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.7
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 200/024 DATE 04/29
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 180/040 DATE 04/29
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.63
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 6
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 10
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 12
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 67
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 0 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 1 RAIN 4
LIGHT RAIN 21 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 2 HAIL 0
HEAVY SNOW 0 SNOW 0
LIGHT SNOW 11 SLEET 2
FOG 11 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 0
HAZE 1
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
* INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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...APRIL 2025 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...
APRIL 2025 FEATURED NORMAL TO ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES AND ABOVE
NORMAL PRECIPITATION FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE REGION RANGED FROM NORMAL TO 1.5 DEGREES (F)
ABOVE THE 1991-2020 AVERAGES. NO MAJOR CLIMATE SITE FINISHED IN THE
TOP 10 WARMEST FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL. THE WARMEST TEMPERATURES CAME
ON THE 28TH AND 29TH WHEN MOST INLAND LOCATIONS SAW HIGH
TEMPERATURES IN THE 70S. THE REST OF THE MONTH SAW TEMPERATURES
FLUCTUATE WITHIN A FEW DEGREES OF NORMAL DAILY VALUES.
PRECIPITATION (RAIN AND MELTED SNOW) WAS GENERALLY 110 TO 160
PERCENT OF NORMAL. IN CARIBOU, 4.01 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL
DURING THE MONTH. THIS TIED APRIL 1982 FOR THE 10TH WETTEST APRIL ON
RECORD. RECORDS IN CARIBOU DATE BACK TO 1939. IN HOULTON, 4.46
INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FELL. THIS MADE APRIL 2025 THE 6TH WETTEST
APRIL ON RECORD AND THE WETTEST APRIL SINCE 2005. RECORDS IN HOULTON
DATE BACK TO 1948.
PRECIPITATION IN BANGOR AND MILLINOCKET FOR THE MONTH FELL SHORT OF
THE TOP 10 WETTEST APRILS ON RECORD. RECORDS IN BANGOR DATE TO 1925.
IN MILLINCOKET, RECORDS DATE TO 1903.
SNOWFALL WAS GENERALLY NEAR AVERAGE FROM AROUND MOOSEHEAD LAKE
NORTHWARD, AND BELOW AVERAGE TO THE SOUTH. IN CARIBOU, 8.7 INCHES OF
SNOW FELL DURING THE MONTH, SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE (1991-2020) AVERAGE
SNOWFALL OF 8.3 INCHES. IT WAS THE SNOWIEST APRIL IN CARIBOU SINCE
2021 (8.9 INCHES). IN BANGOR, 1.0 INCH OF SNOW FELL, WHICH WAS BELOW
THE AVERAGE OF 3.7 INCHES.
THE LARGEST SNOW EVENT OF THE MONTH IN NORTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY
OCCURRED ON THE 5TH AND 6TH. GENERALLY 3 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW FELL
NORTH OF MARS HILL. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN CARIBOU
RECEIVED 4.9 INCHES OF SNOW LITTLE OR NO SNOW WAS REPORTED WITH THIS
EVENT FURTHER SOUTH. THE FINAL SNOW EVENT OF THE MONTH CAME ON THE
13TH AND 14TH. 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVER NORTHEASTERN
AROOSTOOK COUNTY, INCLUDING 3 INCHES IN CARIBOU. AMOUNTS OUTSIDE OF
THIS AREA WERE UNDER 2 INCHES.
FURTHER SOUTH, THE LARGEST SNOW EVENT OCCURRED ON THE 8TH AND 9TH. A
BAND OF 3 TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW FELL FROM THE MOOSEHEAD LAKE AREA
EASTWARD TO NORTHERN PENOBSCOT COUNTY AND WASHINGTON COUNTY. 1 TO 3
INCHES OF SNOW FELL SOUTH OF THE BAND, INCLUDING 1.0 INCH AT BANGOR
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. AMOUNTS TO THE NORTH OF THE BAND WERE LESS
THAN 3 INCHES, WITH NO MEASURABLE SNOW BEING REPORTED OVER
NORTHEASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY.
AT THE START OF THE MONTH, THERE WAS NO SNOW ON THE GROUND NEAR
BANGOR AND DOWNEAST. ANYWHERE FROM A TRACE TO 6 INCHES WERE ON THE
GROUND FROM THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS INTO EASTERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY. IN
THE NORTH WOODS, 6 TO 18 INCHES WERE ON THE GROUND, WITH THE
GREATEST AMOUNTS AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS. THERE WAS A TRACE TO 2 INCHES
OF SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS TO EASTERN
AROOSTOOK COUNTY. HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN THE NORTH WOODS HAD 5 TO 7
INCHES OF SNOW-WATER EQUIVALENT AT THE START OF APRIL.
SNOW COVER ACROSS THE NORTH PEAKED FOLLOWING THE SNOW EVENT ON THE
5TH AND 6TH. MOST PLACES HAD 5 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND,
WITH SOME HIGHER TERRAIN SPOTS SEEING UP TO 20 INCHES OF SNOW COVER.
SNOW-LIQUID EQUIVALENTS AT THAT TIME WERE GENERALLY 1 TO 5 INCHES,
WITH UP TO 8 INCHES In THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF THE NORTH WOODS. THIS
SNOW COVER WAS COMPLETELY GONE BY THE END OF THE MONTH.
REMAINING ICE ON THE SAINT JOHN AND ALLAGASH RIVERS WAS OUT BY THE
THIRD WEEK OF APRIL. MOOSEHEAD LAKE REPORTED ICE OUT ON APRIL 29TH.
THIS WAS THE LATEST ICE OUT FOR MOOSEHEAD LAKE SINCE 2020 (MAY 4TH).
HOWEVER, THIS WAS NOWHERE NEAR THE RECORD LATE ICE OUT OF 1878 (MAY
29TH). A FEW LAKES IN THE NORTH WOODS STILL HAD SOME ICE LEFT AT THE
END OF THE MONTH.
THE CLIMATE PREDICTION CENTER`S (CPC) OUTLOOK FOR MAY 2025 INDICATES
THAT THERE IS AN ELEVATED RISK OF ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IN
NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE. HOWEVER, THE CPC`S OUTLOOK SHOWS NO
STRONG CLIMATE SIGNALS FOR ABOVE OR BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION
(RAIN AND MELTED SNOW).
AT THE START OF THE MONTH OF MAY, AVERAGE HIGHS RANGE FROM THE MID
50S IN THE NORTH, TO AROUND 60 DEGREES IN 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 SINCE 1939, MOST RECENTLY IN 2020. AT LEAST A
TRACE OF SNOW HAS FALLEN IN AT LEAST 63 YEARS SINCE RECORDS BEGAN,
MOST RECENTLY IN 2023. FROST CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME OF THE MONTH
ACROSS NORTHERN VALLEYS, BUT BECOMES LESS COMMON BY MID TO LATE
MONTH ACROSS THE DOWNEAST REGION. THUNDERSTORMS BECOME INCREASINGLY
COMMON IN MAY AWAY FROM THE COAST, ESPECIALLY LATER IN THE MONTH.
$$
NC