Southern Franklin storm history

Wind gusts estimated to be around 50 mph were impacting the region through the morning hours. An eastern white pine tree snapped at approximately 8:53 AM EST at Knolton Corner Road in North Chesterville. Large tree branches feel on a vehicle passing by with one of them hitting th…

Snow overspread the area on the evening of the 23rd as a warm front approached northern New England. In the late evening stronger lift arrived and snow became moderate to heavy at times through the morning of the 24th. Light snow lingered until the afternoon before tapering off. …

Franklin County averaged 2.31 inches of precipitation in December, approximately 1.5 inches below normal. The cumulative rainfall deficit since July grew to over 7.5 inches, marking the 5th driest July through December stretch on record. The USDM on December 30th showed 40% of th…

Franklin County averaged 2.80 inches of precipitation in November, approximately an inch below normal. The rainfall deficits carried over from summer grew over 6 inches, making it the 5th driest stretch between July through November on record. While much of the county was in Seve…

Franklin County averaged 2.48 inches of precipitation in September, approximately an inch below normal. The rainfall deficits carried over from summer grew near 5 inches, making it the 6th driest stretch between July through September on record. The USDM on September 30th had 4% …

Light snow overspread the area in the late evening on the 15th. This continued into the morning of the 16th when an area of strong warm air advection resulted in a laterally translating band of moderate to heavy snow. This swept through the region by the afternoon of the 16th. Pe…

Snowfall became moderate to heavy at times around midnight and continued into the morning of Thursday, December 5th. Snowfall totals ranged from 7 to 10 inches. Key Impacts: heavy snow.

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 north to be well into the colder portions of the storm, and despite the late season winter event, temperatures remained at or …

Snowfall rates in excess of 1 inch per hour led to snowfall totals ranging between 18 and 22 inches.

Snow squalls arrived in the western Maine mountains during the late afternoon on the 14th. The automated weather observing equipment at the hospital in Farmington observed visibility of one quarter mile with gusty winds. The squalls lasted about 20 minutes at any given location b…

Precipitation began during the evening of the 9th with a band of heavy snow lifting northeastward out of the Mahoosucs. 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 continue…

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 higher terrain. Eventually steady snow tapered to light snow and snow showers, which continued into th…

A hard freeze impacted the region shortly after midnight on May 18th with widespread sub-freezing temperatures. Temperatures ranged from freezing to the mid-20s. Farmington reported a low of 28 degrees. The temperatures were some of the coldest this late in spring in over the pas…

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. Snow quickly came to an end during the afternoon as low pressure moved into the northwest Atlantic and…

By midday 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 -50 degrees early on the 4th before winds gradually began to d…

Snow began during the evening of the 22nd. Snowfall quickly became moderate at times before midnight, then tapered to light snow which continued through most of the day on the 23rd. The Longfellow Mountains were on the northern edge of the heaviest snow band, with snowfall totals…

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…

Snow overspread the western lakes and 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 o…

Rain changed to snow around 8:00 pm on the 3rd. During the early morning on the 4th the snow intensity increased and became moderate to heavy at times through mid morning. Steady snow continued through the day and tapered off in the evening. Snowfall amounts ranged from 10 to 13 …

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 mid morning. The …

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…

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 25 percent of Franklin County customers lost power duri…

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 early evening hours. A mild mid January air mass resulted in a strong elevation dependence to snowfall amounts. Snowfall around 8 inches occurred in the higher elevations around Mount Blue State Park with totals closer …

Snow moved into the western Maine mountains just after midnight on the 2nd. Light to moderate snow continued into the early morning hours of the 2nd before tapering off and mixing with sleet and freezing rain. After sunrise steady snow moved back into the area and continued until…

Snow moved into the area afternoon on the 5th. Snow became moderate to to heavy through the late evening under the strongest banded precipitation. Warmer temperatures in the lower elevations resulted in significantly less snow than the higher elevations. Snow totals ranged from a…

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 limited impacts to Franklin County due wind gusts up to 45 mph. Scattered reports of snapped and uprooted trees along with broken branches caused downed power lines through the county. Franklin County reported 3,000 customers without power, with a re…

Rain changed to snow across Franklin County late on the 8th into the early morning on May 9th and accumulated anywhere between 2 and 6 inches by early afternoon. A few selected amounts were 5.5 inches in New Vineyard, and 4 inches in Farmington and Wilton.

Precipitation overspread southern Franklin 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…

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…

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 6 to 8 inches of …

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 …

Precipitation moved in midday on the 30th as snow at onset. Snow remained light through the day. Secondary low pressure developed off the southern New England coast after midnight on the 31st and prolonged light snow across the area into the afternoon. Snow totals ranged from 4 t…

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…

Secondary low pressure developed in the Gulf of Maine late in the evening on the 29th. Snowfall along and to the north of its track intensified through the early morning hours on the 30th. Snow quickly ended from west to east in the morning. Snowfall totals ranged from 5 to 7 inc…

A band of light to moderate snow developed over the mountains and foothills of western Maine late in the evening of the 19th in response to warm air advection developing aloft. Then heavy snow moved into area in the early morning hours and continued into the afternoon. Snow chang…

Light mixed precipitation changed over to moderate to heavy snow during the morning of the 9th. Snow was especially heavy in the higher terrain, with lighter snow farther south through the foothills.

Steady snow developed on the evening of the 26th. Orographic lifting of southeasterly winds created heavy snow at times in the higher elevations. Milder air moving in aloft allowed for a wintry mix at times. Storm total snowfall ranged from 6 inches to 8 inches.