Northern Oxford storm history

Oxford County averaged 2.35 inches of precipitation in December, approximately 1.8 inches below normal. Oxford continued to lead the state in total dry well reports, accounting for nearly 22% of all statewide submissions by year-end. The USDM on December 30th had 82% of the count…

Oxford County averaged 2.78 inches of precipitation in November, approximately 1.5 inches below normal. The rainfall deficits carried over from summer grew above 5 inches, making it the 5th driest stretch between July through November on record. While most of the county was class…

Oxford County averaged 2.26 inches of precipitation in September, approximately 1.5 inches below normal. The rainfall deficits carried over from summer grew above 5 inches, making it the 3th driest stretch between July through September on record. The USDM on September 30th had 4…

While snow began early in the morning on the 28th, snowfall rates picked up late morning through late afternoon. Snowfall rates where one inch per hour at times. Snow was heavy and wet, clinging to branches and breaking limbs. Power outages increased in the late afternoon, and th…

Snow overspread the area during the evening of the 3rd, heavy at times overnight into the morning of the 4th. The western Maine Mountains were far enough west to be well into the colder portions of the storm, and despite the late season winter event, temperatures remained at or b…

Snowfall rates in excess of 1 inch per hour led to snowfall totals ranging between 14 and 20 inches.

Precipitation began as a light mix, especially across the lower elevations and valleys of Northern Oxford County. As heavier precipitation moved into the region, the precipitation type transitioned to snow, which became heavy at times in the higher terrain. In the lowest elevatio…

Precipitation began during the evening of the 9th with a band of heavy snow lifting northeastward out of the White Mountains. Snowfall rates were briefly 1 inch per hour, before settling to a steady light to moderate snow. Snowfall rates increased again after midnight and snow co…

Strong southeast wind gusts began the morning of the 18th. While wind gusts remained strong throughout the day, the damaging gusts occurred in several waves during the morning, again at midday, and once more in the evening. The peak gusts were fairly typical of a high wind event …

Precipitation began around midday on the 3rd as mostly snow with colder surface air locked in the interior. Upsloping easterly flow allowed the heaviest snow to fall through the Mahoosucs. Eventually steady snow tapered to upslope snow showers, which continued for most of the day…

Snow overspread the western Maine mountains shortly after midnight, early on the morning of the 4th. Snowfall quickly became moderate to heavy through the early afternoon hours. As low pressure moved into the northwest Atlantic flow become more northwesterly and snow tapered to u…

Light snow began after midnight on the 28th. By midday snow intensity picked up and became moderate at times through the late afternoon. Otherwise snow remained light and tapered off in the late evening, coming to an end from northwest to southeast. Snowfall totals ranged from 8 …

By mid morning on the 3rd wind chills were reaching -30 degrees. Ambient air temperatures continued to fall into the double digits below zero with winds gusting in excess of 35 mph. The coldest wind chill values approached -55 degrees early on the 4th before winds gradually began…

A significant downslope windstorm occurred in the western Maine Mountains on the 23rd. With a temperature inversion sitting right around ridgeline, strong to damaging wind gusts were able to mix down the lee side of the higher terrain. For most of the day winds gusted between 40 …

Light precipitation began on the morning on the 16th. Steady moderate to occasionally heavy snow started relatively quickly after the onset, especially at higher elevations. Southeast flow upsloping into the western Maine Mountains produced significantly more snowfall along the e…

Early in the day on the 12th precipitation was mainly rain, especially in the valleys. By mid-morning precipitation rapidly changed over to snow as low pressure developed off the coast of southern New England and colder air filtered in from the north. Snow became heavy at times t…

Snow overspread the western Maine mountains early in the morning on the 25th. A hybrid type snow band gradually transitioned into a laterally quasi-stationary band around daybreak. Moderate to heavy snowfall continued from that time through early afternoon. The snow tapered off i…

Rain changed to snow around 4:00 pm on the 3rd. During the late evening the snow intensity increased and remained moderate at times through daybreak on the 4th. Steady snow continued through the day and tapered off in the evening. Snowfall amounts ranged from 12 to 16 inches.

Light snow began on the morning of the 29th, with the intensity of snowfall picking up after daybreak. An intense band of snow developed around mid morning over southern New England but remained mostly over the Gulf of Maine until midday. The band backed into coastal and Midcoast…

Strong warm air advection forced a laterally translating band of snow into the western Maine mountains during the morning of the 17th. Within a couple hours snow was moderate to heavy. Snowfall rates were near 1 inch per hour for two or three hours leading up to midday. The dry s…

Here is a breakdown of the U.S. Drought Monitor across western Maine from the issuance on November 2, 2021. Severe drought (D2) conditions were expanded slightly to the northeast across Somerset county, now totaling 9% areal extent in far western Maine. The moderate drought (D1) …

The moderate (D1) drought conditions across Maine were reduced to a (D0) across portions of southern Oxford, Franklin, and Somerset Counties. Severe drought conditions remain unchanged for the central and northern portions of those counties as they received less rainfall. Between…

Rainfall in August was below normal for most of the region, with above normal rainfall only over southern Maine where drought conditions no longer remain. For the areas in moderate to severe drought, rainfall was 40-70% of normal for the month. Temperatures meanwhile were running…

The July 1 issuance of the U.S. Drought Monitor had 100% of Maine a drought level of D0 or greater. A moderate drought level (D1) or higher was in place for 70% of Maine. Severe drought (D2) conditions were designated for 20% of Maine over portions of Oxford, Franklin, and Somers…

The state of Maine activated its Drought Task Force. Several towns instituted voluntary water restrictions. Hydro operators balanced needs of lake levels, hydroelectric power generation needs, and the discharges to maintain stream flow needs downstream. In Maine, the South Berwic…

Snow moved into the area during the early morning hours on the 16th and continued into the evening. The majority of the snowfall accumulated through the afternoon hours as a mesoscale snowband with moderate snowfall rates moved into the Western Maine Mountains. Due to the late se…

Winds began to sharply increase early in the morning on the 2nd. While strong wind gusts were common over a large portion of the area, damaging wind gusts were most likely in the lee of the taller mountains and ridges. About 30 percent of Oxford County customers lost power during…

Snow moved into the area just after midnight and continued through the morning hours on the 2nd. The bulk of the accumulation came with moderate to heavy snow in the mesoscale snow band as it moved north through the western Maine mountains. Snow continued into the evening in wave…

Snow began on the morning of the 16th and continued into the mid afternoon hours. A mild mid January air mass resulted in a strong elevation dependence to snowfall amounts. Snowfall around 12 inches occurred in the higher elevations of the Mahoosuc Mountains with totals closer to…

Snow moved into the Mahoosuc Mountains around midnight on the 2nd. Light to moderate snow continued into the early morning hours of the 2nd before tapering off or mixing with sleet and freezing rain. After sunrise steady snow moved back into the area and continued until ending as…

Snow began before sunrise on the 17th. Snow became moderate to heavy as an intense band of snow moved towards the area. While the band became stationary just south of the area, snow was still heavy at times near Route 302. Dry air to the north and weakening lift with increasing l…

Snow moved into the western Maine mountains afternoon on the 5th. Snow became moderate to occasionally heavy on northern edge of the precipitation shield through the late evening. Warmer temperatures in the lower elevations resulted in significantly less snow in some valleys than…

Drought maintained through the beginning of October with no significant rainfall across the region. Things changed on October 13th when a significant rainstorm brought widespread rainfall across the region. Another significant rainstorm occurred on October 16-17th with more benef…

Drought continued to expand and intensified through the month of September with the state of Maine recording the driest September on record. D2 severe drought expanded to cover all of Western Maine by the end of the month. In addition, an area of D3 extreme drought developed acro…

Tropical Storm Isaias brought moderate impacts to Oxford County due wind gusts around 45 mph. Numerous snapped and uprooted trees along with broken branches caused downed power lines through the county. Oxford County reported 8,400 customers without power, with a restoration time…

Rain changed to snow across Northern Oxford County in the early morning hours on May 9th and accumulated anywhere between 2 and 6 inches by early afternoon depending on elevation.

Precipitation overspread northern Oxford County during the morning of the 9th as mostly rain at the lower elevations, and some snow in the mountains. Temperatures gradually cooled into the upper 30s, but by late afternoon heavier precipitation moved in, temperatures fell to the l…

Snow moved into western Maine mountains during the early evening on the 23rd and quickly became moderate to heavy. Forcing was driven primarily by warm air advection and banding near the low center never made it far enough northwest to affect the area, and so came to an end in le…

A mid level warm front lifting northward brought snow showers to the area for much of the day on the 26th. A break in precipitation occurred overnight followed by a large area of heavy precipitation moving in before dawn on the 27th. Heavy, wet snow came down for most of the firs…

Light snow began on the morning of the 18th ahead of an approaching front. During the afternoon snow became moderate to heavy at times when a secondary wave developed near the southern New England coast. Snow quickly came to an end in the evening, but not before 5 to 7 inches of …

As the mid level warm front moved through the area on the morning of the 6th as steady light snow overspread northern Oxford County. A fairly uniform 3 to 4 inches of snow fell before it tapered off by midday. A prolonged period of no precipitation or light freezing drizzle or sl…

Snow began on the evening of the 18th and quickly became moderate to heavy through midnight. Snow tapered off but lingered through 6:00 am on the 19th with the approach of a cold front from the west. Behind the front upslope snow showers continued into the afternoon. Snow totals …

Snow began in the early morning hours of the 16th. The most persistent and heaviest bands of snow remained near Route 2. Snow was moderate to heavy at times during the day, with an inch or more falling in an hour at times. Snow tapered off in the afternoon before coming to an end…

Precipitation moved in very early on December 30th as snow at onset. Early on the morning of the 30th continued warm air advection aloft allowed a nearly stationary band of moderate to heavy snow to develop overhead and remain in place into the afternoon. Secondary low pressure d…

By midday on the 24th precipitation overspread the western Maine mountains. Strong lift helped cool a marginal air mass so that any rain or mix flipped to moderate to heavy snow in the afternoon and evening. This was especially true where easterly flow was upsloping into the high…

Snow began late on the 21st but did not become heavy at times until early on the 22nd. With a warmer late season boundary layer a combination of dynamic, evaporational, and upslope cooling allowed precipitation to stay mostly snow in the mountains of western Maine. Lower elevatio…

Snow began in the evening and quickly became moderate to heavy in the late evening. After midnight warmer air aloft allowed some of the precipitation to mix with sleet at times. The snow and sleet continued into the morning hours when precipitation quickly ended from west to east…

Persistent light snow along a weak warm front developed on the evening of the 29th over parts of the western Maine mountains. Secondary low pressure developed in the Gulf of Maine overnight and snowfall intensified through the early morning hours on the 30th. Snow quickly ended f…

Heavy snow moved into the western Maine mountains in the early morning hours and continued through the afternoon. Mixed precipitation stayed to the south, and snowfall totals ranged from 12 to 15 inches.