Summer 2026 Seasonal Narrative for Northern and Eastern Maine

...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