Cold/Wind Chill — Northern Piscataquis, Maine

2020-10-07 · Northern Piscataquis, Maine

Event narrative

A 75 year old hiker and his nephew lost their way on Mt Katahdin. While they were waiting for rescuers, the older man fell 50 feet and became injured. During the night he became hypothermic due to the cold, wet conditions. He passed away the next day from his injuries.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system approaching from Eastern Ontario brought cool, wet conditions to the region. Upper air observations in the region indicated that temperatures at the top of Mt. Katahdin started just above freezing, then dropped just below freezing after the front passed. Winds during this time increased significantly as well, reaching close to 50 knots at mountain top by the morning of October 8th. These conditions, although not unseasonable, would have been dangerously cold for unprepared hikers, and resulted in the deaths of 2 individuals.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 917686. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.