Maine, 1998

Cold in Maine, December 22 to 23, 1998

December 22 to 23, 1998 · NWS GYX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

Wind chill temperatures dropped to 30 to 45 degrees below zero across northern Maine and the Maine mountains as strong northwesterly winds of 20 to 30 mph brought in cold air from Canada.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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.

Wind chill temperatures dropped to 30 to 45 degrees below zero across northern Maine and the Maine mountains as strong northwesterly winds of 20 to 30 mph brought in cold air from Canada.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Central Somerset

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northeast Aroostook

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Northeast Aroostook forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Franklin

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Oxford

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Penobscot

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Piscataquis

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Somerset

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northwest Aroostook

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM EST
Where
Northwest Aroostook forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southeast Aroostook

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM 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)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Piscataquis

When
December 22, 8:00 PM EST to December 23, 9:00 AM 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)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5674954, 5674955, 5674956, 5674957, 5674958, 5674959, 5674960, 5674961, 5674962, 5674963.