HOULTON, Maine — After such a cold, short spring, Amanda Dewitt of Houlton said Friday that she’d swore she would never say that any day during the summer was “too hot.”
She admitted that she “came pretty close” several days this week, however, especially on Thursday, when she was forced to spend most of the day inside with her children with the air conditioner cranked.
Officials with the National Weather Service in Caribou said Friday that Caribou broke a record for the highest temperature ever set on a July 5 since records have been kept. Caribou saw a temperature of 94 degrees Thursday, two degrees over the previously set record of 92 degrees set in 1983. The average temperature for this time of year is 75 degrees, representing a 19 degree departure from normal.
Houlton also set a record by hitting the same 94 degree mark, breaking a record of 93 degrees set in both 1983 and 2000. The temperature for this time of year typically is 77 degrees in Houlton, representing a 17 degree departure from normal.
Millinocket also struck a new record high for the day at 95 degrees, surpassing the 92 recorded on July 5, 1983. The normal for this time of year is 78 degrees in that community.
With a temperature of 93 degrees on Thursday, Bangor fell two degrees shy of its record of 95 set in 1975. It was still 14 degrees above the normal of 75 for this time of year in Bangor.
Cooling thunderstorms and rain rolled through the region Friday pushing out the hot, sticky weather and bringing some relief to the heat.
The National Weather Service forecast cooler temperatures in the low to mid 70s for highs in Aroostook into Saturday, with lows at night dropping down into the 40s and 50s.
