Blizzard in Maine, March 6, 2001

Name: Blizzard in Maine, March 6, 2001
Start: 2001-03-06T01:00
End: 2001-03-06T20:00
Location: Maine

March 6, 2001 · NWS CAR · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

spreading snow across Downeast areas. The low became nearly stationary for a time before drifting southward againlater on the 6th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 2

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 reached the Gulf of Maine during the 6th...spreading snow across Downeast areas. The low became nearly stationary for a time before drifting southward againlater on the 6th. The storm produced 5 to 10 inches of snow across coastal Downeast Maine. Sustainedwinds of 30 to 40 mph...with gusts of 50 to 60 mph...were reported along the coast. Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph were reported offshore.Blizzard conditions were reported with visibilities below a quarter mile and widespread blowing and drifting snow. Scattered power outages were also 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 5, 9:30 PM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 9:30 PM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
930 PM EST MON MAR 5 2001

.UPDATE...
MODERATE SNOW IS WORKING ITS WAY INTO COASTAL HANCOCK COUNTY. THIS BAND OF
SNOW WILL SLOWLY SPREAD INTO NEIGHBORING ZONES. SINCE SNOW HAS NOT STARTED
IN SOME AREAS WILL ADJUST WORDING IN ZONES TO INDICATE SNOW DEVELOPING. WILL
ALSO ISSUE A NOWCAST TO ELABORATE ON THE START TIME OF SNOWFALL.

.SYNOPSIS...
A RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING LOW OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST WILL MOVE NORTH TO
NEAR CAPE COD TONIGHT.  THIS LOW WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY THROUGH EARLY
TUESDAY...THEN DRIFT SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE WESTERN ATLANTIC LATER TUESDAY
AND WEDNESDAY.

DISCUSSION...
LATEST SURFACE ANALYSIS INDICATING INTENSIFYING LOW (988 MBS) NEAR THE
44004 BUOY WHICH IS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH MODEL LOCATION BUT STRONGER THAN
MODEL FORECAST FOR THIS TIME (18Z).  MODELS HAVE TRENDED SLIGHTLY FURTHER
NORTH WITH THIS SYSTEM RESULTING THE SOME OF THE HEAVY QPF TO REACH INTO THE
DOWNEAST ZONES TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.

EXPECT QPF AMOUNTS UP TO 1.5 INCHES ACROSS THIS REGION BEFORE SYSTEM PULLS
AWAY TO THE SOUTHEAST. HPC'S HIGH RISK AREA LOOKS REAL GOOD FOR THIS REGION.
THIS TRANSLATES TO UP TO A FOOT OF SNOW ACROSS INTERIOR DOWNEAST AND COASTAL
WASHINGTON COUNTY WITH 1 TO 2 FEET FOR COASTAL HANCOCK COUNTY.

WITH WINDS SLIGHTLY NORTH OF EAST...EXPECT TIDES TO RUN UP TO 2 FEET ABOVE
NORMAL WHICH COULD CAUSE MINOR COASTAL FLOODING AND BEACH EROSION ESPECIALLY
ALONG EAST FACING ISLANDS TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.

THIS SYSTEM SHOULD BEGIN RETREATING TO THE SOUTHEAST DURING TUESDAY
AFTERNOON RESULTING IN THE LAST OF THE PRECIPITATION TO MOVE OUT OF COASTAL
DOWNEAST TUESDAY NIGHT.

COASTAL WATERS...
WINDS TO INCREASE ACROSS THE WATERS REACHING STORM FORCE LEVELS TONIGHT AND
CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING DURING WEDNESDAY.

EXTENDED...
EXTENDED GUIDANCE INDICATING A STORM APPROACHING THE CWFA FOR THE WEEKEND.
THIS WILL BE INDICATED IN THE EXTENDED FORECAST PACKAGE.

.CAR...BLIZZARD WARNING ZNS 15>17 TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.
       BLIZZARD WARNING ZNS 29/30 TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT.
       WINTER STORM WARNING ZN 10 TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ZN 11 TONIGHT AND TUESDAY.
       STORM WARNING FOR COASTAL WATERS.

APFFEL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Coastal Hancock

When: March 6, 1:00 AM EST to 8:00 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)

Blizzard, Coastal Washington

When: March 6, 1:00 AM EST to 8:00 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)

What these are

Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

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: 5234316, 5234317.