The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Caribou, Maine will be conducting a required, scheduled update to their Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) system from 8 AM April 28, 2025 through approximately 5 PM April 30, 2025. The NWS uses the AWIPS computer system to display and integrate weather and water information, and to send life-saving information, such as weather and water warnings, to the public.

During the time of the update, forecast operations will be conducted by our service back-up office in Gray, Maine to minimize any potential interruption to services. No impacts to our core services of forecast products and weather watches, warnings and advisories are expected during this period. However, limited impacts will occur to the following services: 

• NOAA Weather Radio Transmitters - All NOAA Weather Radio transmitters maintained by NWS Caribou will be off air through the time of the install.  This includes the following transmitters in Maine: Frenchville, Caribou, Greenville, Milo, Springfield, Meddybemps, Jonesboro, and Ellsworth.  

• Total Water Level Forecasts - Coastal flood water level forecast services will be degraded due to a less frequent update cycle.  Forecasts will remain on https://water.noaa.gov/wfo/car through this period. 

• Local graphical forecast maps that are hosted in numerous places on www.weather.gov/car will not be updated.  This includes all maps on the Graphical Hazardous Weather Outlook page (https://www.weather.gov/erh/ghwo?wfo=car), the majority of the graphics on the Emergency Managers Self Brief (https://www.weather.gov/car/EMhome) and Winter Weather page (https://www.weather.gov/car/winter), and the Local Forecast Graphics page (https://www.weather.gov/car/ForecastGraphics and https://www.weather.gov/car/observations).

The forecast office in Caribou will remain open and staffed throughout this period for public phone calls and additional functions that can be completed without AWIPS.