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NOUS41 KCAR 052040
PNSCAR
MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-062045-
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Caribou ME
440 PM EDT Sat Sep 5 2026
...SUMMER 2026 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN MAINE...
SUMMER 2026 TRENDS:
CARIBOU:
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.0 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL. CARIBOU
RECORDED ITS HIGHEST SEASONAL LOW MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE, AT 63
DEGREES. RECORDS GO BACK TO 1939.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL. THE HIGHEST
SEASONAL MINIMUM TEMPERATURE RECORD WAS TIED IN 1ST PLACE THIS
YEAR, AT 71 DEGREES. IT TIED WITH 2024, 2018, 2014, 1975, AND
1970.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 0.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 0.57 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.
BANGOR:
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES 1.4 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 4.65 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. INTERESTINGLY
ENOUGH, THIS RESULTED IN A TIE BETWEEN THIS YEAR AND 2025 FOR THE
4TH DRIEST SUMMER ON RECORD, AT 5.44 INCHES OF RAIN. BANGOR
PRECIPITATION DATA FOR JUNE 12 - 15 WAS MISSING DUE TO A
TECHNOLOGICAL ISSUE, SO A LOCAL WEATHER GAUGE WITHIN 5 MILES OF
THE ASOS WAS UTILIZED FOR PRECIPITATION DATA ON THESE DAYS.
MILLINOCKET:
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 2.0 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.7 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 1.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 1.43 INCHES BELOW NORMAL.
HOULTON:
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 1.1 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL.
WEATHER EVENTS:
- CARIBOU ISSUED 5 FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS IN JUNE. THERE WERE 18
FLOOD ADVISORIES ISSUED THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER.
- THERE WERE 36 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS DURING THE SUMMER.
8 OF THESE WERE ISSUED JULY 16TH, AND ANOTHER 8 WERE ISSUED
AUGUST 28TH.
- THERE WERE 6 SPECIAL MARINE WARNINGS IN JULY, ALL ISSUED ON
JULY 16TH. THE MOST NOTABLE REPORT FROM THIS EVENT WAS A VIDEO OF
A WATERSPOUT MOVING OVER GOULDSBORO BAY!
- CARIBOU ISSUED 4 HEAT ADVISORIES THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, BUT NO
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS!
- AT CARIBOU, EVAPORATION AND SOIL TEMPERATURE ARE MEASURED IN
THE WARM SEASON. IN JUNE, JULY, AND AUGUST, WFO CARIBOU MEASURED
11.44 INCHES OF EVAPORATION IN THEIR EVAPORATION TANK. THIS
RESULTED IN A 0.86 INCH SURPLUS OF RAINFALL AT CARIBOU, SINCE
12.30 INCHES OF RAIN FELL THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER.
DROUGHT:
- DROUGHT IMPROVED IN JUNE, WITH ALL OF AROOSTOOK AND MOST OF
CENTRAL WASHINGTON IMPROVING OUT OF DROUGHT. FAR NORTHERN
PISCATAQUIS, NORTH AND CENTRAL PENOBSCOT, MOST OF NORTHERN AND
COASTAL HANCOCK AND COASTAL WASHINGTON, WERE ABNORMALLY DRY (D0).
BY THE END OF JUNE, AROOSTOOK, PISCATAQUIS, NORTHERN SOMERSET,
NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PENOBSCOT, AND NORTHERN HANCOCK COUNTIES
WERE OUT OF DROUGHT. SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT AND WESTERN HANCOCK
COUNTY WERE IN ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS, WITH FAR SOUTHERN
PENOBSCOT IN MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) CONDITIONS.
- ON JULY 14TH, ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS EXPANDED INTO
SOUTHWESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY. WITH A CONTINUED LACK OF
BENEFICIAL RAINFALL, D0 CONDITIONS EXPANDED NORTHWARDS.
SOUTHEASTERN PISCATAQUIS, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT, CENTRAL
AND NORTHERN HANCOCK, ALL OF WASHINGTON, AND SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK
ENTERED D0 DROUGHT BY JULY 28TH. FAR SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT AND
WESTERN HANCOCK ENTERED MODERATE DROUGHT (D1).
- ON AUGUST 11TH, THERE WAS A LOT OF DROUGHT EXPANSION, WITH D0
EXPANDING NORTH INTO NORTHERN AND EASTERN AROOSTOOK, NORTHERN,
CENTRAL, AND SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS, NORTHERN PENOBSCOT, AND
COASTAL WASHINGTON. MODERATE DROUGHT (D1) EXPANDED TO SOUTHERN
AROOSTOOK, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT, NORTHERN AND CENTRAL
HANCOCK, AND NORTHERN WASHINGTON. FAR SOUTHWESTERN HANCOCK
CREEPED INTO SEVERE DROUGHT (D2). BY AUGUST 18TH, MODERATE
DROUGHT (D1) CREPT INTO SOUTHERN, CENTRAL, AND NORTHWESTERN
PISCATAQUIS, PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AROOSTOOK. BY AUGUST 25TH,
SEVERE DROUGHT (D2) EXPANDED MORE INTO WESTERN HANCOCK COUNTY,
AND UP TO SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT. MODERATE DROUGHT EXPANDED FARTHER
NORTH, INTO MOST OF NORTHERN PENOBSCOT, AND NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS.
- AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITIES HAVE REPORTED AN INCREASED NEED FOR
IRRIGATION THIS SUMMER, AND INCREASED DRYNESS IN PLANTS.
- NORTHERN MAINE IS ROUGHLY 75-100 PERCENT OF NORMAL FOR
PRECIPITATION, SO THE DROUGHT DEGRADED SLOWER IN THE NORTH
COMPARED TO CENTRAL AND EASTERN MAINE.
CLIMATE OUTLOOK:
- TEMPERATURES: FOR FALL (SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER), CLIMATE
PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
- PRECIPITATION: FOR FALL, CPC IS FORECASTING BELOW NORMAL
PRECIPITATION IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
- ENSO: PER CPC, EL NINO CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT, WITH AN EL NINO
ADVISORY IN EFFECT. EL NINO CONTINUES TO STRENGTHEN, WITH A 90
PERCENT CHANCE OF A VERY STRONG EVENT IN FALL/WINTER 2026-2027.
$$
ASB