Warm and dry start to July 2013

...A VERY WARM AND DRY START TO JULY AT CARIBOU...

So far only 3 hundredths of an inch (0.03") of rain has been 
observed at Caribou, Maine. This makes it the driest start 
(month to date) at Caribou since weather records began in 1939. 
The chance of any additional rain is very slim until late next 
week when a cold front is expected to cross the area. 
The all-time driest July on record occurred in 1991 when 
only 96 hundredths of an inch of rain fell during the entire 
month.

It has also been a very warm start to the month. The average 
temperature so far this month of 70.2 degrees is 5.2 degrees 
above the 30-year average temperature. Month to date, it ranks 
as the 3rd warmest start to the month of July on record. Temperatures 
are expected to be well above normal through early next week, 
and there is a good chance that the first half of July will end 
up as the warmest on record. The all-time warmest July on record 
occurred in 1970 with an average monthly temperature of 69.6 degrees.

Note that many areas across northern and eastern Maine have only had a small percentage of the normal precipitation so far this month.  This image shows the departure from normal Precipitation from July 1-11, 2013.

Note that the temperatures have averaged from 2 to a little more than 5 degrees above normal from July 1-11, 2013.  Image courtesy of the Northeast Regional Climate Center at: https://www.nrcc.cornell.edu/

The long range outlook from the Climate Precipitation Center for week 2 (July 20-26, 2013) calls for an increased likelihood of below normal temperatures across Maine.  The long range indications are that a strong cold front will cross the area late next week and usher a much cooler air mass into northern New England at the end of next week as a trough of low pressure aloft becomes established across eastern Canada.