Winter Storm in Maine, February 5 to 6, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Maine, February 5 to 6, 2001
Start: 2001-02-05T18:00
End: 2001-02-06T15:00
Location: Maine

February 5 to 6, 2001 · NWS CAR · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

with localized totals upto around 18 inches reported across the mountains of central and northern Maine. with near blizzard conditions reported at times.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 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: 12

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 CAR wrote it up.

Low pressure lifting along the Atlantic Coast during the 5th...tracked through the Gulf of Maine during the early morning hours of the 6th...before exiting the Gulf of Maine later that afternoon.The storm generally produced 8 to 12 inches of snow across the region...with localized totals upto around 18 inches reported across the mountains of central and northern Maine. Wind gusts of20 to 30 mph produced widespread blowing and drifting snow along with reduced visibilities...with near blizzard conditions reported at times.

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 Caribou, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 5, 3:00 PM EST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 5, 3:00 PM EST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
300 PM EST MON FEB 5 2001

.SYNOPSIS...
DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHEASTERN NEW ENGLAND
LATER THIS EVENING...THEN ACROSS THE GULF OF MAINE OVERNIGHT.  THIS LOW WILL
THEN LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS NOVA SCOTIA ON TUESDAY.  SNOW WILL SPREAD
NORTHEAST ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION THIS EVENING...AND BECOME HEAVY AT TIMES
OVERNIGHT.  SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED OVER THE ENTIRE AREA...
WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL POTENTIAL ACROSS CENTRAL AND DOWNEAST AREAS.
SNOW WILL BEGIN TO WIND DOWN FROM THE SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST DURING THE
DAY TUESDAY.

DISCUSSION...
SNOW SPREADING NNEWRD ATTM AND CURRENTLY HAS MOVED INTO SWRN ME AND MUCH OF
NH AND VT...  SFC LOW CONTS TO WIND UP JUST OFF THE SRN NJ COAST W/ VERY
IMPRESSIVE TEXTBOOK SAT SIGNATURE N AND NE OF THIS SYSTEM PER RAPIDLY
COOLING CLOUD TOPS SPREADING NWRD ACROSS MUCH OF NEW ENGLAND.  WALL OF
PRECIP ADVANCING NNEWRD ACROSS CENTRAL AND SRN NEW ENGLAND ATTM W/ VERY
HEAVY PRECIP NOTED ACROSS CT/RI/MA/ERN NY.  12Z MODELS HAVE SETTLED ON A
TRACK WHICH SHOULD BRING THIS SYSTEM ACROSS SERN MA THIS EVE...ACROSS THE
GULF OF MAINE OVERNIGHT...AND TO JUST W OF NS BY ERLY TUE.  COASTAL FRONT
CURRENTLY JUST OFF OUR DOWNEAST COAST AND SYSTEM COULD ULTIMATELY TRACK A
LITTLE FARTHER N ALONG THIS FRONT WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE.  PER THIS TRACK
AND LATEST QPF/SNOWFALL PROGS...HEAVIEST SNOWFALL AMOUNTS STILL APPEAR
POISED TO FALL ACROSS CENTRAL AND DOWNEAST AREAS BUT CURRENT FCST QPF
AMOUNTS SUGGEST GOING W/ A WARNING FAR NRN ZONES AS WELL.  THUS...ENTIRE CWA
UNDER A WARNING TONIGHT INTO TUE.  HAVE UPPED FCST SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS THE
CWA RANGING FROM 6-10 NRN ZONES TO HIGHEST AMOUNTS OF 12-18 INTERIOR
DOWNEAST ZONES. SNOW TO WIND DOWN TUE AM DOWNEAST AND LATER TUE AFTN NE AS
SYSTEM PULLS AWAY FROM THE AREA.  WEAK TROF REMAINS ACROSS THE N AND EXPECT
THIS WILL BE ENUF TO KEEP SNOW SHOWERS GOING TUE NIGHT AND POSSIBLY INTO
WED.

IN THE EXTENDED...SYSTEM APPROACHING FROM THE W LATE IN THE WEEK SHOULD
BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF WINTRY WX TO THE NORTHLAND BY FRI.  SYSTEM LOOKS A
LITTLE WARMER SO MAY BE SOME MIXED PRECIP OR RAIN...ESPECIALLY DOWNEAST
AREAS.  BUMPED TEMPS UP IN THE EXTENDED BUT KEPT GENERAL WX TRENDS THE
SAME.

COASTAL WATERS: WILL CONT WITH STRONG GALES FOR TNGT AND TUE MORN...W/ A
PERIOD OF STORM FORCE WINDS POSSIBLE LATER TNGT.

.CAR...WINTER STORM WARNINGS TNGT INTO TUES ZONES 1>6/10.
       WINTER STORM WARNING TNGT THRU TUE AM ZONES 11/15>17/29/30.
       COASTAL WATERS...GALE WARNING.

KHW

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Penobscot

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Central Penobscot forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Coastal Hancock

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Coastal Hancock forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Coastal Washington

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Coastal Washington forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Interior Hancock

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Interior Hancock forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Interior Washington

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Interior Washington forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northeast Aroostook

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Northeast Aroostook forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Penobscot

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Penobscot forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Piscataquis

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Piscataquis forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northwest Aroostook

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Northwest Aroostook forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southeast Aroostook

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Southeast Aroostook forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern Penobscot

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Penobscot forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern Piscataquis

When: February 5, 6:00 PM EST to February 6, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Piscataquis forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.837, -69.284 (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

Every storm in Maine in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, February 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: 5232886, 5232887, 5232888, 5232889, 5232890, 5232891, 5232892, 5232893, 5232894, 5232895, 5232896, 5232897.