Winter 2025-2026 Seasonal Narrative for Northern and Eastern Maine

...WINTER 2025-2026 CLIMATE NARRATIVE FOR NORTHERN/EASTERN
MAINE...

WINTER TRENDS:

CARIBOU:
* SNOWFALL WAS 17.2 INCHES BELOW AVERAGE
* MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.3 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 1.6 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* PRECIPITATION WAS 3.09 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WAS THE 19TH
  DRIEST WINTER ON RECORD FOR CARIBOU.

BANGOR:
* SNOWFALL WAS 9.7 INCHES ABOVE AVERAGE.
* MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 2.9 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 4.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 3.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* PRECIPITATION WAS 3.21 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. DESPITE HAVING ABOVE
  AVERAGE SNOWFALL, THIS WAS THE 6TH DRIEST WINTER FOR BANGOR ON
  RECORD. THE CURRENT RECORD FOR DRIEST WINTER IS 1979-1980, WITH
  3.89 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION.

MILLINOCKET:
* MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 12 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 0.8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 1.3 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* PRECIPITATION WAS 3.36 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WAS THE
  2ND DRIEST WINTER FOR MILLINOCKET. IT COMES BEHIND 2002-2003,
  WHERE THEY ONLY GOT 2.42 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION.

HOULTON:
* MEAN MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.7 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* MEAN MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WERE 1.2 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL
* AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE 1.4 DEGREE BELOW NORMAL
* PRECIPITATION WAS 4.01 INCHES BELOW NORMAL. THIS WAS THE DRIEST
  WINTER FOR HOULTON ON RECORD. IT SURPASSED THE PREVIOUS RECORD
  IN 2000-2001 FOR 4.15 INCHES.

WEATHER EVENTS:
* MULTIPLE SNOW STORMS IN THE REGION DURING THE WINTER SEASON. NWS
  CARIBOU ISSUED 7 WINTER STORM WARNINGS. THE JANUARY 25TH-27TH
  STORM WAS A SIGNIFICANT SNOW EVENT FOR THE DOWNEAST REGION, WITH
  SOME AREAS RECEIVING OVER A FOOT AND A HALF IN ACCUMULATIONS. THE
  HIGHEST SNOW TOTAL FOR THIS EVENT WAS 21 INCHES IN WASHINGTON
  COUNTY. THIS EVENT BROKE A DAILY SNOWFALL RECORD FOR BANGOR ON
  JANUARY 26TH, RECEIVING AROUND 11.7 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IN A 24
  HOUR PERIOD.
* THERE WAS 1 BLIZZARD WARNING ON FEBRUARY 23RD (DOWNEAST REGION).
  HIGH GUSTY WINDS LED TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES FOR
  MOST OF THE DOWNEAST REGION.
* THERE WAS 1 EXTREME COLD WARNING ON JANUARY 24TH. THE COLDEST WIND
  CHILL ON THIS DAY WAS IN FAR NORTHERN AROOSTOOK COUNTY, AT -44F.
  CARIBOU RECORDED A DAYTIME HIGH OF -2F, WHICH IS THE SECOND LOWEST
  DAILY MAX TEMPERATURE FOR THE TOWN, JUST BEHIND THE 1961 DAILY MAX
  OF -3. JANUARY 22ND WAS ALSO THE SECOND COLDEST DAYTIME HIGH FOR
  MILLINOCKET AND HOULTON, AT 2 DEGREES AND 1 DEGREE, RESPECTIVELY.
  THIS WAS THE THIRD COLDEST DAYTIME HIGH FOR BANGOR, AT 8 DEGREES.
* NWS CARIBOU ISSUED 15 WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES.
* NWS CARIBOU ISSUED 2 SNOW SQUALL WARNINGS.
* NWS CARIBOU ISSUED 9 COLD WEATHER ADVISORIES.
* THE CONSISTENT SNOWPACK AND SNOWFALL IN THE NORTH HAD A POSITIVE
  IMPACT ON WINTER RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN DECEMBER AND JANUARY.
  RELATIVELY CONSISTENT SNOWPACK AROUND 10-15 INCHES AT WFO CARIBOU
  AND BANGOR AIRPORT IN FEBRUARY, WITH LITTLE POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE
  IMPACTS.

DROUGHT:
* AT THE END OF NOVEMBER, NORTHERN SOMERSET, NORTHWESTERN AND
  CENTRAL AROOSTOOK, NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS, SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT, AND
  PORTIONS OF HANCOCK AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES, WERE INCLUDED IN
  SEVERE DROUGHT.
* THERE WAS SOME SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT BY THE END OF THE MONTH FOR
  WASHINGTON COUNTY, IMPROVING FROM SEVERE DROUGHT TO MODERATE
  DROUGHT.
* OTHERWISE, DROUGHT HAS NEITHER IMPROVED NOR DEGRADED SINCE
  DECEMBER.
* PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY BELOW AVERAGE FOR THE ENTIRE
  WINTER SEASON, MEANING THAT DROUGHT WILL PERSIST INTO SPRING.

CLIMATE OUTLOOK:
* TEMPERATURES: FOR SPRING (MARCH, APRIL, MAY), CLIMATE PREDICTION
  CENTER (CPC) IS FORECASTING NO STRONG SIGNALS FOR ABOVE NORMAL
  TEMPERATURES IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
* PRECIPITATION: FOR SPRING, NO STRONG SIGNAL FOR ABOVE OR BELOW
  PRECIPITATION IN NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.
* ENSO: LA NINA WILL PERSIST, AND TRANSITION OVER TO ENSO-NEUTRAL IN
  THE COMING MONTH OR SO. ENSO NEUTRAL IS EXPECTED TO LAST THROUGH
  SUMMER 2026.

$$

ASB