Maine, 1997

Winter Storm in Maine, January 5 to 6, 1997

January 5 to 6, 1997 · NWS GYX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

The circulation around an intense low pressure center over the Great Lakes, combined with a secondary low pressure system that developed over western New England, brought more than 9 inches of snow to extreme northern Maine with heavy accumulations of freezing rain farther south in northern Maine. Other areas of Maine had lesser accumulations of freezing rain.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GYX wrote it up.

The circulation around an intense low pressure center over the Great Lakes, combined with a secondary low pressure system that developed over western New England, brought more than 9 inches of snow to extreme northern Maine with heavy accumulations of freezing rain farther south in northern Maine. Other areas of Maine had lesser accumulations of freezing rain.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Northwest Aroostook

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to January 6, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Northwest Aroostook forecast zone
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northeast Aroostook

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to January 6, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Northeast Aroostook forecast zone
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Somerset

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to January 6, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Somerset forecast zone
Coordinates
45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Piscataquis

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to January 6, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Piscataquis forecast zone
Coordinates
45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Penobscot

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to January 6, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Penobscot forecast zone
Coordinates
45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southeast Aroostook

When
January 5, 1:00 PM EST to January 6, 2:00 AM EST
Where
Southeast Aroostook forecast zone
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maine in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, January 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5600269, 5600270, 5600271, 5600272, 5600273, 5600274.