Gusty northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph combined with temperatures falling into the teens belowzero to produce wind chills of 60 to 70 below zero at times.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS CAR wrote it up.
Gusty northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph combined with temperatures falling into the teens belowzero to produce wind chills of 60 to 70 below zero at times.
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 Caribou, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 3:41 PM EST, 2 hours 19 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
341 PM EST WED FEB 21 2001
.SYNOPSIS...
HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS NEW ENGLAND TONIGHT WHILE LOW PRESSURE
EXITS THE MARITIMES. THE HIGH WILL CROSS THE REGION THURSDAY. ONE LOW
DEVELOPING ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC COAST WILL LIFT TOWARD SOUTHERN NEW
ENGLAND THURSDAY NIGHT...WHILE ANOTHER LOW TRACKS TOWARD THE REGION FROM
THE WEST.
DISCUSSION...
CURRENT SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATED LOW PRESSURE CENTERED OVER
NEWFOUNDLAND...WITH HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES. THE LOW WILL
EXIT THE MARITIMES TONIGHT WHILE THE HIGH BUILDS ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. THE
HIGH WILL CROSS THE REGION THURSDAY. AN INTENSIFYING LOW WILL LIFT FROM
THE MID ATLANTIC COAST TOWARD THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COAST THURSDAY
NIGHT...WHILE A WEAKENING LOW TRACKS TOWARD THE REGION FROM QUEBEC PROVINCE.
THE COASTAL LOW WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY AS IT TRACKS EAST OF THE GULF
OF MAINE THROUGH THE MARITIMES FRIDAY...WHILE THE LOW APPROACHING FROM THE
WEST CONTINUES TO WEAKEN AS IT CROSSES THE REGION. ALOFT...UPPER TROFFING
MOVES EAST OF THE REGION TONIGHT. UPPER LEVEL RIDGING THEN BUILDS ACROSS
THE REGION THURSDAY. MODELS SHOW THE BEST UPPER SUPPORT FOR THE COASTAL
LOW GENERALLY REMAINING SOUTH AND EAST OF THE GULF OF MAINE THURSDAY NIGHT
AND FRIDAY. AN UPPER LOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOW APPROACHING FROM THE
WEST WILL CROSS THE REGION FRIDAY.
A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT STILL PERSISTS ACROSS THE REGION BETWEEN THE
EXITING LOW AND BUILDING HIGH...PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS. THE GUSTY WINDS
WILL CONTINUE TO ADVECT VERY COLD AIR ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE NIGHT.
THE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DIMINISH LATER TONIGHT AS THE GRADIENT RELAXES. THE
COMBINATION OF TEMPERATURES FALLING WELL BELOW ZERO ACROSS THE NORTH AND
MOUNTAINS AND GUSTY WINDS WILL DROP WIND CHILLS INTO THE WIND CHILL WARNING
RANGE. ACROSS INTERIOR DOWNEAST AREAS...EXPECT TEMPERATURES AND WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO DROP WIND CHILLS TO WIND CHILL ADVISORY LEVELS. PARTLY
CLOUDY SKIES AND A FEW FLURRIES EARLY...WILL BECOME MOSTLY CLEAR OVERNIGHT
AS THE HIGH BUILDS ACROSS THE REGION.
HIGH PRESSURE WILL CROSS THE REGION THURSDAY ACCOMPANIED BY COLD
TEMPERATURES AND PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES.
DEEPER MOISTURE WILL OVERSPREAD THE REGION FROM THE SOUTH AND WEST LATER
THURSDAY NIGHT IN ADVANCE OF THE LOWS. CLOUDS WILL BE ON THE INCREASE
EARLY THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH SNOW DEVELOPING LATE. ALTHOUGH IT APPEARS THE
BEST SUPPORT AND LIFT WILL REMAIN OFFSHORE...EXPECT SEVERAL INCHES OF
ACCUMULATION ARE POSSIBLE DOWNEAST BY FRIDAY MORNING...WITH LESSER
ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND AN INCH ACROSS THE NORTH.
EXPECT WIDESPREAD SNOW SHOWERS WILL OCCUR REGIONWIDE FRIDAY AS THE LOW
LIFTS THROUGH THE MARITIMES...WRAPPING MOISTURE BACK ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA AND AN UPPER TROF CROSSES THE REGION.
COASTAL WATERS...
GALE FORCE WINDS WILL CONTINUE EARLY TONIGHT THEN GRADUALLY DIMINISH LATER
TONIGHT AS THE HIGH BUILDS TOWARD THE WATERS. WINDS WILL DIMINISH FURTHER
THURSDAY AS THE HIGH CROSSES THE WATERS. WINDS WILL THEN BEGIN TO INCREASE
AGAIN LATER THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY AS THE INTENSIFYING LOW TRACKS EAST
OF THE GULF OF MAINE.
EXTENDED...
SNOW SHOWERS COULD LINGER ACROSS THE NORTH AND MOUNTAINS FRIDAY NIGHT
AS THE LOW LIFTS THROUGH THE MARITIMES. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN CROSS THE
AREA SATURDAY. LOW PRESSURE LIFTING THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES WILL BEGIN TO
SPREAD SNOW ACROSS THE REGION LATER SUNDAY. SOME QUESTIONS STILL EXIST
REGARDING THE TRACK OF THE LOW MONDAY...FOR NOW WILL MAINTAIN A CHANCE OF
SNOW ALL AREAS ALTHOUGH A MIX COULD BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE COAST DEPENDING
ON THE EXACT TRACK. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD PERSIST ACROSS ALL AREAS
IN THE WAKE OF THE LOW TUESDAY...WITH SNOW SHOWERS LINGERING ACROSS THE
NORTH AND MOUNTAINS WEDNESDAY.
.CAR...WIND CHILL WARNING TONIGHT FOR ZONES 001>006-010
WIND CHILL ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR ZONES 011-015>017
GALE WARNING.
NORCROSSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, February 2001
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: 5232787, 5232788, 5232789, 5232790, 5232791, 5232792.