Winter Storm in Maine, March 22 to 23, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Maine, March 22 to 23, 2001
Start: 2001-03-22T12:00
End: 2001-03-23T22:00
Location: Maine

March 22 to 23, 2001 · NWS CAR · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

An intensifying low lifting along the Atlantic coast during the 22nd lifted through the Gulf of Maine during the 23rd. Warmer air changed precipitation to sleet and rain after a little snow accumulation along the Downeastcoast.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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.

An intensifying low lifting along the Atlantic coast during the 22nd lifted through the Gulf of Maine during the 23rd. The storm generally produced 6 to 12 inches of snow across the region...althoughlocalized totals of around 18 inches were reported across portions of northern Piscataquis county.Warmer air changed precipitation to sleet and rain after a little snow accumulation along the Downeastcoast. A brief interval of stronger winds with some gusts in excess of 50 mph brought down some trees and powerlines along the immediate coast producing scattered power outages.

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 Mar 22, 11:35 AM EST, 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 22, 11:35 AM EST, 25 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
1135 AM EST THU MAR 22 2001

.UPDATE...
GENERALLY CURRENT FORECAST PACKAGE SEEMS ON TRACK. WILL MAKE SOME MINOR
WORDING CHANGES. THE WINDS HAVE ALREADY INCREASED AS THE STORM MOVES
CLOSER.

.SYNOPSIS...
LOW PRESSURE OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SLOWLY
NORTHEAST...REACHING THE GULF OF MAINE BY EARLY FRIDAY. THIS SYSTEM WILL
THEN TRACK ACROSS NOVA SCOTIA AND INTO THE GULF OF SAINT LAWRENCE BY LATE
SATURDAY.

DISCUSSION...
ETA/AVN MODELS REMAINS IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN TAKING INTENSIFYING SURFACE LOW
ALONG THE MID ATLANTIC COAST SLOWLY NORTHEAST TO THE GULF OF MAINE DURING
FRIDAY. VERY IMPRESSIVE CONVEYOR BELT OF TROPICAL MOISTURE SEEN ON WATER
VAPOR IMAGERY WILL COMBINE WITH NEGATIVE TILTED TROUGH AND 50+ KT LOW LEVEL
JET OFF THE ATLANTIC TO RESULT IN COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF PRECIPITATION ACROSS
NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE WELL INTO FRIDAY. AS SYSTEM CONTINUES TO
INTENSIFY...DYNAMIC COOLING WILL RESULT IN CRITICAL THICKNESS FIELDS TO COOL
KEEPING MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF SNOW. WILL CONTINUE WITH
PREVIOUSLY ISSUED WARNINGS FOR CENTRAL AND INTERIOR DOWNEAST MAINE AND
UPGRADE WATCHES TO WARNINGS FOR FAR NORTHERN MAINE WITH THIS PACKAGE.

ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST INITIALLY THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE RAIN...HOWEVER
AS DYNAMIC COOLING AND INCREASING OMEGA COMBINE EXPECT THE PRECIPITATION TO
CHANGE TO SNOW WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE ESPECIALLY NORTH OF
A ROUTE 1 LINE. THUS HAVE ISSUED A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR ZONES 29/30
TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY.  THE 06Z MESOETA IS ALSO COMFIRMING THIS THINKING.

AS THE SYSTEM BEGINS WEAKENING EXPECT THE PRECIPITATION TO TAPER TO SNOW
SHOWERS ACROSS DOWNEAST DURING FRIDAY WHILE SNOW CONTINUES ACROSS FAR
NORTHERN MAINE AS PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH COMMA HEAD MOVES ACROSS
THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT AND POSSIBLY INTO EARLY SATURDAY BEFORE TAPERING
TO SNOW SHOWERS.

IN THE EXTENDED....UNSETTLED CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PERSIST SO WILL KEEP
SNOW SHOWERS OR RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE FCST THRU MON. WEAK RIDGE
EXPECTED FOR TUE THEN NEXT SYSTEM CROSSES THE AREA ON WED.

COASTAL WATERS...
WILL CONTINUE WITH STORM WARNING FOR THE WATERS TODAY AND TONIGHT BEFORE
DIMINISHING DURING THE DAY FRIDAY.

.CAR...WINTER STORM WARNING ZONES 1>4 TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY NIGHT.
       WINTER STORM WARNING ZONES 5/6 LATE THIS AFTN THROUGH FRIDAY.
       WINTER STORM WARNING ZONES 10/11T THIS AFTN THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING.
       WINTER STORM WARNING ZONES 15>17 TODAY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY.
       WINTER STORM WATCH ZONES 29/30 TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY.
       STORM WARNING COASTAL WATETRS.

APFFEL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Penobscot

When: March 22, 12:00 PM EST to March 23, 10:00 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, Interior Washington

When: March 22, 12:00 PM EST to March 23, 10:00 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: March 22, 12:00 PM EST to March 23, 10:00 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 Piscataquis

When: March 22, 12:00 PM EST to March 23, 10:00 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: March 22, 12:00 PM EST to March 23, 10:00 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: March 22, 12:00 PM EST to March 23, 10:00 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 Piscataquis

When: March 22, 12:00 PM EST to March 23, 10:00 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, March 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: 5234625, 5234626, 5234627, 5234628, 5234629, 5234630, 5234631.