April 2026 Monthly Narrative for Northern and Eastern Maine

...APRIL 2026 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...

April Trends:

Caribou:
- Snowfall was 2.5 inches below normal
- Mean maximum temperatures were around normal, measuring 47.4F
- Mean minimum temperatures were around normal, measuring 29.5F
- Average temperatures were around normal, measuring 38.5F
- Precipitation was 1.24 inches above normal. *This was the 9th
wettest April on record for Caribou. Seasonal precipitation amounts
were 4.23 inches.

Bangor:
- Snowfall was 3.7 inches below normal. *Monthly snowfall was a
trace. Only 1968, 1998, and 2009 reported no snowfall during April
in Bangor.
- Mean maximum temperatures were -0.7F below normal
- Mean minimum temperatures were around normal, measuring 32.8F
- Average temperatures were around normal, measuring 42.6F
- Precipitation was 0.77 inches above normal

Millinocket:
- Mean maximum temperatures were around normal, measuring 50.5F
- Mean minimum temperatures were 2.5F above normal
- Average temperatures were 1.1F above normal
- Precipitation was 1.15 inches above normal *This was the 10th
wettest April on record for Millinocket. Seasonal precipitation
amounts were 4.66 inches.

Houlton:
- Mean maximum temperatures were around normal, measuring 49.5F
- Mean minimum temperatures were 1.9F above normal
- Average temperatures were 1.1F above normal
- Precipitation was 0.80 inches above normal

Weather Events:
- There were a few winter storms in the region during April. There
was 1 Winter Weather Warning on April 2nd into April 3rd, for
northwest and eastern Aroostook County. There were reports of up to
1-1.5 inches of sleet in these areas. There were also 2 Winter
Weather Advisories at the beginning of the month, for some mixed
precipitation events.
-Snow pack at WFO Caribou began around 3 inches at the start of the
month, increasing to 6 inches on April 3rd following the
aforementioned mixed precipitation storm. After this, the pack
gradually diminished down to a trace by the 11th, and was officially
reported to be 0 on the 17th.
Winter recreation ended in central and northern Maine with lack of
snowpack.
-The ongoing drought improved slightly in April. April began with
severe drought (D2) in western Aroostook, northern Somerset,
northern Piscataquis, southern Penobscot, and central/southern
Hancock counties. Moderate drought (D1) elsewhere in northern and
eastern Maine. By mid-April, drought improved to abnormally dry (D0)
for eastern and southern Aroostook, and northern Penobscot. Improved
to moderate (D1) drought for western Aroostook, northern Somerset,
Piscataquis, central and most of southern Penobscot, Hancock, and
Washington counties. Far western Penobscot hung on to severe drought
(D2) in mid-April. By the end of the month, portions of northern,
central, and southern Aroostook, northern and central Penobscot,
northern Hancock, and northern and central Washington all improved
to abnormally dry (D0) conditions. Western Aroostook, northern
Somerset, northern and central Piscataquis, most of southern
Penobscot, coastal Hancock and Washington counties were in moderate
(D1) drought. Southern Piscataquis and western Penobscot were in
severe drought (D2).

Climate Outlook:
- Temperatures: For May, Climate Prediction Center (CPC) is
forecasting no strong signals for above normal temperatures in
northern and eastern Maine. For the season ahead, outlook shows
temperatures could lean above climatological normal.
- Precipitation: For May, CPC is forecasting for likely above
normal precipitation. There is no strong signal for anomalously
above or below normal precipitation for the next three months
overall.
- ENSO: Per CPC, ENSO-neutral conditions are present. 80 percent
chance for continued ENSO-neutral conditions May-July. Then. El Nino
has a 61 percent chance of developing in May-July, persisting
through the end of the year.

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ASB