Winter Storm in Maine, March 30 to 31, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Maine, March 30 to 31, 2001
Start: 2001-03-30T13:00
End: 2001-03-31T23:59
Location: Maine

March 30 to 31, 2001 · NWS CAR · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

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 CAR wrote it up.

Low pressure lifting along the Atlantic coast during the 30th slowly tracked through the Gulf of Maineto Nova Scotia during the 31st bringing a prolonged interval of snow to the region. The heaviest snowsacross Downeast areas fell from late on the 30th through early on the 31st. The heaviest snowsacross northern areas fell from the 31st through the early morning hours of April 1st. Snowfalltotals generally ranged from 10 to 18 inches...although localized totals in excess of 20 inches were reported.

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 30, 10:55 AM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 30, 10:55 AM EST, 2 hours 5 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
1055 AM EST FRI MAR 30 2001

.UPDATED...
FRESHENING UP PREVIOUS PACKAGE TO REMOVE REFLECTION OF A MORNING PERIOD.
THE PREVIOUS PACKAGE SEEMS TO BE PROGRESSING ON SCHEDULE...SO WILL ONLY
MAKE MINOR CHANGES IN WORDING TO KEEP CURRENT.

.SYNOPSIS...
LOW PRESSURE WILL LIFT NORTHEAST THROUGH THE MID ATLANTIC REGION TODAY...
WILL CROSS THE GULF OF MAINE TONIGHT AND EARLY SATURDAY.

DISCUSSION...
LOW PRES CONTS TO DEVELOP OVER THE MID ATLC STATES ATTM... MID/HIGH
CLOUDS ASSOCIATED W/ THIS SYSTEM COVERING CENTRAL/SRN AREAS WHILE NRN AREAS
ARE P/C AS WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRES HANGS TUF.

VARIETY OF WX ON TAP FOR OUR CWA NEXT 24-36 HRS AS THIS LOW IS PROGGED TO
LIFT NE TO THE SRN NEW ENGLAND COAST LATER TODAY THEN TRACK ENE ACROSS THE
GULF OF MAINE TONIGHT AND THEN PASS JUST S OF NS ON SAT. FORTUNATELY
...MODELS FINALLY IN REASONABLE AGREEMENT ON THIS TRACK AND THE EXPECTED
STRENGTH OF THIS SYSTEM.  TRACK AND QPF PROGS ALL SUPPORT BEST PRECIP INTO
DOWNEAST AND CENTRAL ZONES W/ RAPID DECREASE IN PRECIP ACROSS THE NRN
AREAS AND THIS LOOKS REASONABLE.  SFC-BL TEMPS WILL BE ON THE WARM SIDE
ACROSS DOWNEAST AREAS AND THIS PRESENTS SOME PROBLEMS CONCERNING PRECIP
TYPE AND ANY SNOW ACCUMS.  0C ISOTHERM AT 850 MB PROGGED TO REACH INTO
COASTAL ZONES LATER TODAY INTO TONIGHT AND W/ SFC TEMPS EXPECTED TO BE ABOVE
FREEZING MOST DOWNEAST AREAS THIS AFTN AND TONIGHT...EXPECT RAIN OR MIXED
PRECIP FROM THE COAST UP TO ABOUT A BGR T0 CALAIS LINE W/ MOSTLY WET SNOW
OR SLEET N OF THIS LINE.  HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT OF SNOW AND SFC TEMPS NEAR
FREEZING IMMEDIATELY N OF THIS LINE WILL HELP HOLD DOWN ACCUMS AND FOR THIS
REASON...FAVOR A WNTR WX ADV FOR ZNS 11/15>17 N OF BGR TO CALAIS VS A WNTR
STORM WARNING AS FEEL WARNING CRITERIA THESE AREAS WILL BE TUF TO REACH.
EXCEPTION WILL BE ZONE 10 WHERE HYR ELEVS COMBINED W/ GOOD ENE UPSLOPE WINDS
SHOULD ALLOW WARNING CRITERIA TO BE REACHED.  FURTHER N AND NE...WILL HOLD
OFF ON ANY ADV ATTM AS PRECIP GRADIENT EXPECTED TO DECREASE RAPIDLY AND MOST
OF THE PRECIP WHICH DOES OCCUR NOT EXPECTED UNTIL TONIGHT... CURRENT
INDICATIONS SUGGEST ABOUT 1-4 INCHES ACROSS ZONES 3>6 W/ THE HYR ACCUMS S
OF A BAXTER ST PARK TO HUL LINE...  JUST A TRACE TO AN INCH EXPECTED
ACROSS THE FAR NRN ZONES LATER TONIGHT AND SAT.

COASTAL WATERS: EXPECT WINDS TO INCREASE TO GALES LATE TODAY AND
TODAY AND CONT INTO SAT BEFORE DIMINISHING LATER IN THE DAY.

.CAR...WNTR STORM WARNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO SAT MORNING ZN 10
       WNTR WX ADV LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO SAT MORNING ZNS 11/15>17 N
       OF A BANGOR TO CALAIS LINE.
       GALE WARNING.

NORTON/FITZSIMMONS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Penobscot

When: March 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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 Hancock

When: March 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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: March 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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: March 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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: March 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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: March 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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: March 30, 1:00 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 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: 5234632, 5234633, 5234634, 5234635, 5234636, 5234637, 5234638, 5234639, 5234640, 5234641.