CARIBOU, Maine — After a summer filled with record setting temperatures, meteorologists at the National Weather Service said Tuesday that this summer was the all-time warmest on record in the Caribou area.
The findings reflect temperatures set in the meteorological summer, which is the three month period from June through August. The summer of 2018 had an average temperature of 66.3 degrees, which eclipsed the previous record of 66 degrees set during the summer of 1973. Weather records have been kept in Caribou since 1939.
August was the all-time warmest month at Caribou, with an average temperature of 68.9 degrees, which was 5.3 degrees above average. It broke the previous record set in August 2015, when the average temperature was 68.2 degrees.
It also was the fifth warmest month in Bangor and Millinocket, and the eighth warmest at Houlton. Greg Cornwell, meteorologist for the NWS out of the Caribou office, said Tuesday that the average monthly temperature in Bangor was 69.2 degrees, which was 5.5 degrees above average. Bangor saw a high temperature of 90 degrees on Aug. 3. The average temperature in Millinocket was 67.5 degrees, which was 5.2 degrees above average. The community saw a high temperature of 87 degrees on Aug. 3. In Houlton, the average temperature was 66.3 degrees, which was 6.3 degrees above average. Aug. 3 also was the warmest day in that community, with the thermometer hitting 83 degrees.
There were a total of 18 days this past month with a high temperature of 80 degrees or warmer in Caribou. This is the most on record at Caribou, and breaks the previous record of 15 days set in 1978 and 1944.
The record setting August came on the heels of the all-time warmest July registered at Caribou.
NWS Meteorologist Rich Norton said the average high for the month of Jully was 70.9 degrees, which was 5.3 degrees above average. The previous all-time warmest month at Caribou was recorded in July 1970, when the average temperature over the 31 days was 69.6 degrees.
Meteorologists said that having three warm Augusts in relative quick succession at a location with nearly 80 years of climate record is unusual.
In July, Caribou experienced 22 days that registered 80 degrees or higher. That was the most 80 degree days on record for any month in Caribou.
