Winter Weather, Central Somerset
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Central Somerset forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Maine, December 17 to 18, 1998
A low pressure center which developed off the mid-Atlantic coast on the 17th and moved slowly northeastward through the Gulf of Maine early on the 18th produced moderate to heavy snow in central Maine. Snowfall amounts ranged from about an inch in the southwestern corner of the state to 4 to 8 inches across most of northern, central, and eastern Maine.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 17
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.
A low pressure center which developed off the mid-Atlantic coast on the 17th and moved slowly northeastward through the Gulf of Maine early on the 18th produced moderate to heavy snow in central Maine. Snowfall amounts ranged from about an inch in the southwestern corner of the state to 4 to 8 inches across most of northern, central, and eastern Maine.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
14 winter weather, 3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Weather, Coastal Hancock
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Hancock forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Coastal Waldo
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Waldo forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Coastal Washington
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Interior Waldo
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Interior Waldo forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Kennebec
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Kennebec forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.409, -69.767 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Northern Franklin
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Franklin forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Northern Oxford
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Oxford forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Northern Penobscot
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Penobscot forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Northern Piscataquis
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Piscataquis forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Northern Somerset
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Somerset forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Southeast Aroostook
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southeast Aroostook forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Southern Penobscot
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Penobscot forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Weather, Southern Piscataquis
- When
- December 17, 12:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Piscataquis forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Central Penobscot
- When
- December 17, 1:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Central Penobscot forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Interior Hancock
- When
- December 17, 1:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Interior Hancock forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Interior Washington
- When
- December 17, 1:00 PM EST to December 18, 1:00 PM EST
- Where
- Interior Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Weather
- Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Weather in Vermont, December 17, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 17, 1998
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 17, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, December 17 to 18, 1998
- High Wind in Alaska, December 17 to 19, 1998
- High Wind in Wyoming, December 17, 1998
- Dense Fog in California, December 17, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 17 to 18, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, December 17 to 18, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 17 to 18, 1998
- High Wind in Montana, December 17, 1998
- High Wind in Montana, December 17, 1998
More
Every storm in Maine in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, December 1998
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5676463, 5676464, 5676465, 5676466, 5676467, 5676468, 5676469, 5676470, 5676471, 5676472, 5676473, 5676474, 5676475, 5676476, 5676477, 5676478, 5676479.