Spring 2026 Seasonal Narrative for Northern and Eastern Maine

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

SPRING 2026 TRENDS:

CARIBOU:
- SNOWFALL WAS 13.4 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE. THIS WAS THE 14TH
 LEAST SNOWY SPRING ON RECORD FOR CARIBOU, ONLY RECORDING 17.1
 INCHES OF SNOW BETWEEN MARCH AND MAY.
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.4 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. A
 DAILY RECORD LOW WAS REACHED ON MAY 23RD AT CARIBOU, MEASURING 30
 DEGREES. THE OLD RECORD WAS 31 DEGREES IN 2007. ANOTHER DAILY
 MINIMUM RECORD WAS TIED ON MAY 30TH, WHEN THE STATION RECORDED 32
 DEGREES. THE OTHER RECORD WAS IN 1967.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 0.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 3.78 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 3RD
 WETTEST SPRING ON RECORD FOR CARIBOU, BEHIND 2005 AND 1983,
 RESPECTIVELY. A DAILY RECORD FOR PRECIPITATION WAS BROKEN MAY
 7TH, WHEN 1.3 INCHES OF RAIN FELL. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 1.03
 INCHES IN 2017. THERE WAS ANOTHER DAILY MAXIMUM RAINFALL RECORD
 BROKEN ON MAY 27TH, AS 1.25 INCHES OF RAIN FELL, BEATING THE
 PREVIOUS RECORD OF 1.17 INCHES IN 1947.

BANGOR:
- SNOWFALL WAS 9.2 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE. THIS WAS THE 19TH LEAST
 SNOWY SPRING ON RECORD FOR BANGOR, ONLY REACHING 9.7 INCHES OF
 SNOW BETWEEN MARCH AND MAY.
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL. THERE WAS A
 DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD TIED IN BANGOR ON MAY 19TH,
 RECORDING 89 DEGREES. THERE WAS A DAILY HIGH TEMPERATURE RECORD
 BROKEN ON MAY 20TH, RECORDING 87 DEGREES. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS
 86 DEGREES IN 1996.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL. THAT SAID, THIS
 SPRING TIED THE 11TH HIGHEST SEASONAL MINIMUM TEMPERATURE (59
 DEGREES) ON RECORD, ON MAY 20TH.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL. THAT SAID, THIS SPRING
TIED THE 7TH HIGHEST SEASONAL MAXIMUM AVERAGE TEMPERATURE (73
DEGREES) ON RECORD, ON MAY 20TH.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 0.4 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THAT SAID, A DAILY
 RECORD FOR RAINFALL WAS BROKEN ON MAY 20TH, WHEN 1.26 INCHES OF
 RAIN FELL, COMPARED TO THE 1.02 INCHES OF RAIN IN 1949.

MILLINOCKET:
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE AROUND NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 0.6 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 1.63 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 11TH
 WETTEST SPRING ON RECORD FOR MILLINOCKET.

HOULTON:
- MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.8 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.1 DEGREE ABOVE NORMAL. HOULTON
 RECORDED ITS 11TH HIGHEST SEASONAL MINIMUM TEMPERATURE (50
 DEGREES) DURING THE SPRING, ON MAY 20TH.
- AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 0.9 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL.
- PRECIPITATION WAS 0.91 INCHES ABOVE NORMAL.

WEATHER EVENTS:
- THERE WERE A FEW LINGERING SNOW STORMS THIS SPRING SEASON. 2
 WINTER STORM WARNINGS WERE ISSUED, 1 IN MARCH, AND 1 IN APRIL.
 BOTH WERE MIXED PRECIPITATION EVENTS.
- THERE WERE 8 WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES, 6 IN MARCH AND 2 IN
 APRIL.
- THERE WAS 1 COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IN MARCH. THE COLDEST
 RECORDED WIND CHILL WAS -28F AT FRENCHVILLE AIRPORT.
- 1 FLOOD WARNING IN MARCH FOR AN ICE JAM ON PISCATAQUIS RIVER.
 FLOOD WARNING LATER REPLACED WITH A FLOOD ADVISORY. 2 OTHER FLOOD
 ADVISORIES WERE ISSUED FOR ICE JAMS - 1 ALONG THE PLEASANT RIVER,
 AND 1 ALONG THE MEDUXNEKEAG RIVER. SPRING ICE OUT FOR ALL RIVERS
 BY THE END OF APRIL.
- SNOWPACK DETERIORATED DURING THE SPRING, COMPLETELY MELTING
 OFF DOWNEAST BY MARCH, AND APRIL IN THE NORTH.
- THERE WAS 1 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ON MAY 5TH, IN WESTERN
 AROOSTOOK, NORTHEAST SOMERSET, AND NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS
 COUNTIES.
- FROST/FREEZE PROGRAM BEGAN IN MAY, AND MOST OF THE DOWNEAST
 REGION BEGAN RECEIVING FROST HEADLINES BY MAY 11ST. THE PROGRAM
 EXPANDED TO THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, UPPER PENOBSCOT VALLEY, AND
 SOUTHERN TO EASTERN AROOSTOOK BY MAY 21ST. THE NORTH WOODS WAS
 INCLUDED IN THE PROGRAM JUNE 1ST. 4 FROST ADVISORIES WERE ISSUED
 IN MAY, AND 1 FREEZE WARNING WAS ISSUED.

DROUGHT:
- IN MARCH, DROUGHT BEGAN AS 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. CONDITIONS
 IMPROVED SLIGHTLY IN MID-TO-LATE APRIL, AS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST,
 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 DROUGHT (D1). SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS AND WESTERN
 PENOBSCOT WERE IN SEVERE DROUGHT (D2). IN MAY, CONTINUED
 IMPROVEMENTS OCCURRED AS THE MAJORITY OF INTERIOR AND COASTAL
 HANCOCK COUNTY, ALONG WITH CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF COASTAL
 WASHINGTON COUNTY, IMPROVED TO ABNORMALLY DRY (D0) CONDITIONS. BY
 MAY 12TH, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN AROOSTOOK, PORTIONS OF NORTHERN
 PENOBSCOT, AND NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES, IMPROVED TO NO
 DROUGHT. SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS AND EASTERN PENOBSCOT IMPROVED TO
 MODERATE DROUGHT (D1). BY MAY 19TH, MOST OF CENTRAL WASHINGTON
 WAS REMOVED FROM DROUGHT.

CLIMATE OUTLOOK:
- TEMPERATURES: FOR SUMMER (JUNE, JULY, AUGUST), CLIMATE
 PREDICTION CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
 IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
- PRECIPITATION: FOR SUMMER, IS FORECASTING ABOVE NORMAL
 PRECIPITATION IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
- ENSO: PER CPC, ENSO-NEUTRAL CONDITIONS ARE PRESENT, WITH AN EL
 NINO WATCH IN EFFECT.. EL NINO HAS A 82% CHANCE OF DEVELOPING IN
 MAY- JULY, PERSISTING THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR.

$$

ASB