...NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE SEASONAL AREA NARRATIVE...
SPRING (MARCH-MAY) 2013 FINISHED WITH AVERAGE OR ABOVE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE AND NORMAL TO BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION AND SNOWFALL. TEMPERATURES RANGED FROM NEAR NORMAL OVER DOWNEAST AREAS TO 2 TO 3.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL OVER FAR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE REGION. AT CARIBOU...SPRING OF 2013 FINISHED IN A TIE (WITH 1977) AS 8TH WARMEST WITH THE MEAN TEMPERATURE OF 40.7 DEGREES SIGNIFICANTLY COOLER THAN THE WARMEST MEAN OF 43.9 DEGREES RECORDED FOR SPRING OF 2010. TEMPERATURES BEGAN NORMAL TO BELOW NORMAL FOR MOST OF THE REGION FOR MARCH AND MUCH OF APRIL...FOLLOWED BY A STRONG TURN AROUND TO WELL ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES IN LATE APRIL INTO EARLY MAY...ESPECIALLY NORTHERN PORTIONS...WHICH BROUGHT ABOUT A FAIRLY EARLY GREEN-UP TO THE REGION. TEMPERATURES THEN COOLED TO NEAR TO BELOW NORMAL FOR MID AND LATE MAY.
PRECIPITATION FOR THE SEASON RANGED FROM 75 PERCENT ALONG THE DOWNEAST COAST TO NEAR 110 PERCENT OVER THE FAR NORTH. PRECIPITATION WAS INITIALLY NORMAL TO BELOW NORMAL THROUGH MARCH AND MUCH OF APRIL...WITH A PERIOD OF MUCH BELOW NORMAL PRECIPITATION ACCOMPANYING THE VERY WARM PERIOD OF LATE APRIL INTO EARLY MAY. IN FACT...AREA FARMERS PARTICULARLY IN NORTHERN MAINE WERE CONCERNED OF A TOP SOIL MOISTURE SHORTAGE FOR PLANTED POTATOES BY MID MAY AND THERE WERE MANY SMALL FIELD FIRES PRIOR TO GREEN-UP WHEN DRY DEAD GRASSES FROM THE PREVIOUS WARM SEASON WERE EASILY IGNITED. THESE CONCERNS WERE COMPLETELY TURNED AROUND WITH SEVERAL HEAVY RAINFALL EVENTS FROM MID TO LATE MAY...RESULTING IN SATURATED FIELDS BY THE CLOSE OF SEASON ON MAY 31ST.
SPRING SNOWFALL RANGED FROM 75 PERCENT OF NORMAL ACROSS THE NORTH TO 95 PERCENT OVER DOWNEAST AREAS...RUNNING OPPOSITE OF PRECIPITATION TRENDS. THE REASON FOR THIS WAS THAT SNOW EVENTS CUT-OFF FAIRLY SHARPLY AFTER EARLY APRIL...AT WHICH POINT...ALL OF THE REGION WAS RUNNING BELOW AVERAGE FOR TOTAL PRECIPITATION. THE EARLY CUT-OFF DID NOT ALLOW NORTHERN AREAS TO RECEIVE MID TO LATE APRIL SNOW EVENTS THAT WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN CLOSER TO AVERAGE SEASONAL TOTALS. WHEN RAINFALL INCREASED SHARPLY IN MID TO LATE MAY ESPECIALLY FOR NORTHERN AREAS... IT WAS TO WARM FOR ANY ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICANT SNOW EVENTS.