Maine, 2001

Heavy Snow in Maine, December 20 to 21, 2001

December 20 to 21, 2001 · NWS GYX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Low pressure moving through southern Quebec and a secondary low developing off the New England Coast brought from 4 to 8 inches of snow in Androscoggin, Kennebec, and northern Waldo Counties. In the foothills to the north, 3 to 6 inches of snow fell.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
5

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.

Low pressure moving through southern Quebec and a secondary low developing off the New England Coast brought from 4 to 8 inches of snow in Androscoggin, Kennebec, and northern Waldo Counties. In the foothills to the north, 3 to 6 inches of snow fell. Along the coast, a mixture of precipitation was reported and snowfall amounts were less.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Gray, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 20, 2:12 PM EST, 48 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 20, 2:12 PM EST, 48 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
212 PM EST THU DEC 20 2001

.DISC...AS BNDRY LAYERS COOL OFF ANY LINGERING LIQUID/FREEZING PRECIP
SHUD CHNGE TO SN THIS EVENING.  LITTLE OR NO ACCUM XPCTD OVR STHRN SECTIONS.
ELSEWHERE...SVRL INCHES ARE LIKELY TNGHT IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SFC TROF AND
ACRSS NRTHRN NH AND WSTRN ME MTNS/FOOTHILLS WHER MOIST NW UPSLOPE WIL PRODUCE
LGHT ACCUMULATING SN TNGHT AND THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY.  ELSEWHER ON FRI
COLD CYCLONIC FLO WIL PRODUCE PLNTY OF CLOUD CVR AND THE THREAT OF FLURRIES.
A FEW LINGERING CLOUDS FRI NHGT AND SAT ACRSS THE HIGHER TERRAIN...WTH M/CLR
SKIES REMAINDR AS RDG BUILDS E.

.CSTAL WTRS...ISSUING GLW WTH THIS PKGE.  WNDS TO REACH MINIMAL GLW CRIT BY
FRI PM ON BACKSIDE OF DVLPG STRM SYSTEM...THEN CONTINUE FRI NGHT INTO SAT.

WRKZFP/CWF AVBL ON A
PLAN TO GO TO PRESS ABT 19Z.

.GYX...
ME...GLW.
NH...GLW.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Androscoggin

When
December 20, 3:00 PM EST to December 21, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Androscoggin forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.166, -70.206 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Interior Waldo

When
December 20, 3:00 PM EST to December 21, 7:00 AM 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)

Heavy Snow, Kennebec

When
December 20, 3:00 PM EST to December 21, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Kennebec forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.409, -69.767 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Franklin

When
December 20, 3:00 PM EST to December 21, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Somerset

When
December 20, 3:00 PM EST to December 21, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Somerset forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Maine in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, December 2001

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: 5275312, 5275313, 5275314, 5275315, 5275316.