2025 Annual Narrative for Northern and Eastern Maine

...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 94°F WAS  
REACHED IN AUGUST. THIS YEAR, CARIBOU ALSO HAD THE 6TH 
WARMEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF 68°F. BANGOR RECORDED ITS 4TH HIGHEST 
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD OF 98°F IN AUGUST AS WELL. MILLINOCKET
RECORDED ITS 2ND HIGHEST MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE IN AUGUST AT
97°F.

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 98°F, WHICH BROKE THE PREVIOUS 
93°F DAILY RECORD FROM 1995. THIS 98°F ALSO TIED FOR MONTHLY RECORD  
HIGH IN FOR JUNE, WITH 1941. HOULTON TIED WITH THE PREVIOUS 
RECORD FROM 1995 AT 92°F. CARIBOU REACHED 90°F AND MILLINOCKET 
REACHED 94°F, JUST A FEW DEGREES BELOW THEIR PREVIOUS RECORDS 
FROM 1995, AND 1912, RESPECTIVELY. HEAT INDEXES FOR THE DAY 
GENERALLY RANGED FROM 95-106°F 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 94°F ON THE 
11TH-13TH, BREAKING DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURES FROM 2020, 1944, AND 
2021. MILLINOCKET REACHED 97°F ON AUGUST 11TH, AND 96°F ON THE 12TH,
BREAKING THE PREVIOUS DAILY HIGH RECORDS IN 1944. IT ALSO RECORDED 
95°F 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 COUNTY’S COASTAL AREA. LASTLY, HANCOCK COUNTY’S 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, 83°F, 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 AND CONTINUING 
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.

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