Northern Maine January Weather Recap

The roller coaster ride known as January in northern Maine featured a blast from the North Pole, a monumental thaw, rain and ice, but no major snow storms.

The National Weather Service says the month was actually warmer and less snowy than normal.  January snowfall at Caribou measured 17.2 inches, about 8 inches below the average, and most of that snow came in the final week.

The coldest night during the throes of the Polar Vortex was -28° F.  That gave way to fairly mild January temperatures, which hit the 40's four times during the month.

But the most notable weather event for the region was freezing rain.  Although it didn't cause widespread power outages, it did turn roadways into glare ice that was even too challenging for many plow trucks and emergency vehicles to maneuver.

Police responded to numerous accidents during the January ice-over and issued a rare warning for people not to venture out on the roads at all.
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