Winter Storm in Maine, February 27 to 28, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Maine, February 27 to 28, 2002
Start: 2002-02-27T13:00
End: 2002-02-28T06:00
Location: Maine

February 27 to 28, 2002 · NWS CAR · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Cold air wrapping around low pressure lifting northward through eastern Maine allowed rain to change to snow across the western mountains and northern Maine. although localized totals of up to 12 inches were reported near the northwest Maine border.

Where it happened

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.

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: 6

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.

Cold air wrapping around low pressure lifting northward through eastern Maine allowed rain to change to snow across the western mountains and northern Maine. Snow accumulations generally ranged from 5 to 9 inches...although localized totals of up to 12 inches were reported near the northwest Maine border.

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 27, 9:38 AM EST, 3 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 27, 9:38 AM EST, 3 hours 22 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
938 AM EST WED FEB 27 2002

.UPDATED...
QUICK UPDATE TO BRING FORECAST CURRENT.  THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPING
ACROSS CENTRAL MAINE NORTH OF MILLINOCKET.  EXPECT THAT TSTM ACTIVITY TO BE
EXTREMELY ISOLATED...BUT WILL EFFECT ALL ZONES.  WILL UPDATE TO SHOWERS WITH
POSSIBLE TSTM.  WILL ADD PATCHY FOG TO NORTHWEST ZONES. WILL DO SOME MINOR
TWEAKING TO TEMPS.

.SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE WILL TRACK NORTH THROUGH QUEBEC TODAY AS A
SECONDARY LOW DEVELOPS OFF THE MAINE COAST. THE NEW LOW WILL RAPIDLY
INTENSIFY AND MOVE NORTH ACROSS NEW BRUNSWICK TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT
PRESSES THROUGH. ON THURSDAY THE LOW WILL CONTINUE NORTH INTO EASTERN
QUEBEC. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD SOUTH OF THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT
AND DRIFT EAST INTO THE OPEN ATLANTIC ON FRIDAY.

.DISCUSSION...
LOW PRESSURE MOVING NORTH INTO SOUTHWEST QUEBEC HAS BEEN DRAWING WARM MOIST
AIR ACROSS THE REGION PRODUCING AREAS OF DENSE FOG...DRIZZLE...AND SOME
HEAVIER SHOWERS DOWNEAST. MEANWHILE...A VERY POTENT JET MAX IS SWINGING
EAST THROUGH THE GULF COAST STATES AND WILL BEGIN LIFTING NORTH ACROSS
THE MID ATLC COASTAL WATERS TODAY. A BAND OF MOISTURE CURRENTLY SEEN
ALONG THE SOUTHEAST COAST ON SATELLITE IMAGERY IS EXPECTED TO RAPIDLY
EXPAND AND SURGE NORTHEAST TODAY...AS A FUNCTION OF THE LIFT AND DRIVE OF
THE EASTERN SEABOARD JET MAX. THIS WILL BRING SOME PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN
INTO THE REGION AS A NEW SURFACE LOW TAKES SHAPE NEAR THE MAINE COAST. THE
HEAVIEST RAIN IS LIKELY IN EASTERN AREAS. MELTING SNOW COMBINED WITH RAIN
MAY PRODUCE SOME LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING. TODAYS RAIN MAY COME IN TWO
SURGES...A SHOWERY CONVECTIVE AREA OF RAIN THIS MORNING...AND THEN A MORE
WIDESPREAD STRATIFORM RAINFALL LATER TODAY WITH THE DEVELOPING LOW.

LATE THIS AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT THE LOW WILL RAPIDLY INTENSIFY AS IT MOVES
NORTH THROUGH NEW BRUNSWICK. COLDER AIR WILL BE PULLED INTO THE STORM SYSTEM
CHANGING THE RAIN TO SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST. THE CHANGEOVER WILL LIKELY
OCCUR FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON IN WESTERN AREAS...TO MID EVENING ACROSS THE
EAST. PRECIPITATION MAY BE MODERATE TO PERHAPS HEAVY DURING THE TIME OF
THE CHANGEOVER CAUSING TRAVEL CONDITIONS TO RAPIDLY DETERIATE. THE HEAVIEST
PRECIPITATION WILL LIKELY BE MOVING OFF TO THE NORTHEAST SOON AFTER THE
CHANGEOVER. HOWEVER...THE STRENGTH AND DEPTH OF THE UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM...
COMBINED WITH THE FACT THAT THE SURFACE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO GAIN STRENGTH
THROUGH THE NIGHT...WILL BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR SNOWFALL TO WRAP BACK OVER
THE AREA FOR A WHILE EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THEREFORE...WINTER STORM
WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTHWESTERN AND NORTHERN ZONES.

LOOKING AHEAD TO THE WEEKEND...A DEEP COLD VORTEX CENTERED OVER HUDSON
BAY WILL MAINTAIN AN ACTIVE PATTERN. A WEAK LOW WILL PASS NORTH ON
FRIDAY...THEN A POTENTIALLY MOIST STORM GATHERING MOISTURE FROM THE
GULF OF MEXICO LATE IN THE WEEK...AND BACKED BY HIGH PRESSURE SOUTH OF THE
MARITIMES...WILL PULL NORTH BRINGING A CHANCE FOR SNOW AND MIXED
PRECIPITATION SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY.

.COASTAL WATERS...GALE WARNING FOR SOUTH WINDS OF 30 TO 35 KT...BECOMING
SOUTHWEST TONIGHT.

.CAR...WINTER STORM WARNING LATE THIS AFTN INTO THU MORNING ZNS 1/3/4/10
       WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT INTO THU MORNING ZNS 2/5/6
       FLS FOR LOCALIZED FLOOD POTENTIAL FROM RAIN/SNOWMELT ALL ZNS
       GALE

NORTON/GABRIC

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Piscataquis

When: February 27, 1:00 PM EST to February 28, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Central Piscataquis forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northeast Aroostook

When: February 27, 1:00 PM EST to February 28, 6:00 AM 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 27, 1:00 PM EST to February 28, 6:00 AM 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 27, 1:00 PM EST to February 28, 6:00 AM 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 27, 1:00 PM EST to February 28, 6:00 AM 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, Northern Somerset

When: February 27, 1:00 PM EST to February 28, 6:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Somerset forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.514, -69.959 (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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, February 2002

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: 5283422, 5283423, 5283424, 5283425, 5283426, 5283427.