Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME
932
CXUS51 KCAR 082044
CLABGR
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
344 PM EST THU JAN 08 2026
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...THE BANGOR ME CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2025...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD: 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD: 1925 TO 2026
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 104 08/19/1935
LOW -32 02/10/1948
HIGHEST 98 06/24 MM MM 96 06/20
LOWEST -16 01/22 MM MM -5 01/31
AVG. MAXIMUM 55.1 55.2 -0.1 59.7
AVG. MINIMUM 34.4 34.8 -0.4 39.7
MEAN 44.8 45.0 -0.2 49.7
DAYS MAX >= 90 8 6.1 1.9 3
DAYS MAX <= 32 63 55.1 7.9 28
DAYS MIN <= 32 154 160.9 -6.9 119
DAYS MIN <= 0 24 20.0 4.0 3
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 49.28 2023
MINIMUM 8.34 2019
TOTALS 36.21 41.71 -5.50
DAILY AVG. 0.10 0.11 -0.01 0.11
DAYS >= .01 118 134.0 -16.0 121
DAYS >= .10 67 83.6 -16.6 69
DAYS >= .50 25 26.6 -1.6 22
DAYS >= 1.00 7 8.6 -1.6 11
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 2.00 09/25 TO 09/26 2.35 08/09 TO 08/10
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL MM 2024
TOTALS 62.8 74.6 -11.8 40.0
SINCE 7/1 20.4 19.6 0.8 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 2 0
DAYS >= 1.0 22 20.6 1.4 10
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 19* 02/17 8 04/05
24 HR TOTAL MM MM 9.5
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 7543 7626 -83 5494
SINCE 7/1 2879 2794 85 MM
COOLING TOTAL 393 379 14 492
SINCE 1/1 393 379 14 MM
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WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.4
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 180/023 DATE 04/29
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 180/034 DATE 04/29
SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT) MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.59
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR 84
NUMBER OF DAYS PC 156
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY 123
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 70
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 8 MIXED PRECIP 4
HEAVY RAIN 20 RAIN 44
LIGHT RAIN 139 FREEZING RAIN 1
LT FREEZING RAIN 10 HAIL 2
HEAVY SNOW 2 SNOW 17
LIGHT SNOW 73 SLEET 11
FOG 198 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 39
HAZE 35
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
* INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
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...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 94F WAS REACHED IN AUGUST. THIS YEAR, CARIBOU ALSO HAD THE 6TH WARMEST
MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 68F. BANGOR RECORDED ITS 4TH HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD OF
98F IN AUGUST AS WELL. MILLINOCKET RECORDED ITS 2ND HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IN AUGUST AT
97F.
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 98F, WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS 93F DAILY RECORD FROM 1995. THIS 98F
ALSO TIED FOR MONTHLY RECORD HIGH IN FOR JUNE, WITH 1941. HOULTON TIED WITH THE PREVIOUS RECORD
FROM 1995 AT 92F. CARIBOU REACHED 90F AND MILLINOCKET REACHED 94F, JUST A FEW DEGREES BELOWTHEIR PREVIOUS RECORDS FROM 1995, AND 1912, RESPECTIVELY. HEAT INDEXES FOR THE DAY GENERALLY
RANGED FROM 95-106F 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 94F ON THE 11TH-13TH,
BREAKING DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM 2020, 1944, AND 2021. MILLINOCKET REACHED 97F ON
AUGUST 11TH, AND 96F ON THE 12TH, BREAKING THE PREVIOUS DAILY HIGH RECORDS IN 1944. IT ALSO
RECORDED 95F 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 COUNTYS COASTAL AREA. LASTLY, HANCOCK COUNTYS 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, 83F, 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 ANDCONTINUING 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