Winter Storm in Maine, January 15 to 16, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Maine, January 15 to 16, 2002
Start: 2002-01-15T10:00
End: 2002-01-16T07:00
Location: Maine

January 15 to 16, 2002 · NWS CAR · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A trof axis extending from low pressure across the Gulf of Maine to a second low crossing New England provided a focus for 7 to 12 inches of snow across the region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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.

A trof axis extending from low pressure across the Gulf of Maine to a second low crossing New England provided a focus for 7 to 12 inches of snow across the region.

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 Jan 15, 3:42 AM EST, 6 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 15, 3:42 AM EST, 6 hours 18 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
342 AM EST TUE JAN 15 2002

.SYNOPSIS...
AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL APPROACH FROM THE SOUTHWEST AND SPREAD SNOW
ACROSS THE STATE TODAY AND CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. COASTAL AREAS CAN EXPECT A
MIXTURE OF SNOW AND RAIN BEFORE CHANGING TO ALL SNOW TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE
WILL BUILD ACROSS THE REGION WITH IMPROVING CONDITION ON WEDNESDAY. THE HIGH
WILL CREST OVER THE STATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

.DISCUSSION...
06Z ANALYSIS PLACES WEAK RIDGE OVER MAINE WITH 1002MB LOW PRESSURE OVER THE
GREAT LAKES. A WARM FRONT EXTENDS FROM THE LOW THROUGH SOUTHERN NEW YORK.
ANOTHER FRONTAL SYSTEM LIES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST STATES. SAT IMG INDICATES
SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH NEW ENGLAND WITH ANOTHER VORT MAX
OVER THE GREAT LAKES AND A THIRD DIVING DOWN INTO THE CENTRAL MIDWEST.

MODELS CONSISTENT THROUGH 48 HOURS BUT ETA MUCH DEEPER WITH LOW NEAR NOVA
SCOTIA AFTER 24 HOURS AND THEN FARTHER NORTH AFTER 36 HOURS. RADAR INDICATES
PRECIP IN NEW YORK AND SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND MOST REPRESENTATIVE WITH AVN AT
06Z. SINCE AVN BEEN MORE CONSISTENT WITH FEATURES THIS WINTER AND SINCE ETA
HAS SHOWN A NORTH BIAS AND HAS OVERDONE THE QPF FIELDS LATELY...WILL LEAN
TOWARDS AVN/GEM WITH THIS PACKAGE.

GREAT LAKES SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS OUR CWA TODAY AND ENHANCE
PRECIPITATION WITH WARM AIR ADVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH WARM FRONT MOVING INTO
THE GULF OF MAINE. SNOW SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS THE STATE FROM THE SOUTHWEST
THIS MORNING AND INTO NE MAINE BY MIDDAY. Q VECTOR FORCING QUITE IMPRESSIVE
TODAY MOSTLY ACROSS DOWNEAST SECTIONS SO FEEL BEST SNOWFALL WILL FALL TODAY
WITH WARM AIR ADVECTION. COASTAL FRONT WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH WARM AIR TO MIX
SNOW WITH RAIN FOR COASTAL SECTIONS.

GREAT LAKES SYSTEM WILL COMBINED WITH SOUTHERN FRONTAL SYSTEM SOUTH OF THE
GULF OF MAINE TONIGHT. WARM AIR ADVECTION PRECIP WILL END LATE TODAY AS
SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES EAST OF THE STATE. HOWEVER STRONG SHORTWAVE
TROUGH...WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN THE MIDWEST...WILL MOVE ACROSS NEW ENGLAND
TONIGHT AND QUICKLY STRENGTHEN COMBINING LOW PRESSURES SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA.
AVN INDICATES WEAK WRAP WILL FORM OVER DOWNEAST SECTIONS WITH BEST QPF EAST
OF I-95. FEEL ENOUGH SNOWFALL WITH THIS FEATURE...COMBINED WITH EARLIER WARM
AIR ADVECTION SNOW...TO GET SOME ISOLATED 7 INCH TOTALS SO WILL ISSUE
WARNING FOR INTERIOR DOWNEAST WITH THIS PACKAGE. EXPECT MOST AREAS WILL SEE
4 TO 6 INCHES.

AS LOW PULLS OUT SKIES WILL CLEAR DOWNEAST BY MIDDAY WEDNESDAY WITH
DOWNGLIDE AS RIDGE STARTS TO BUILD ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. RIDGE WILL CREST THE
STATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND WITH MAX RADIATIONAL COOLING MOST AREAS WILL SEE
SINGLE DIGIT LOWS. CLOUDS ON THE INCREASE THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF
SNOW FOR LATE THURSDAY.

COASTAL WATERS...EXPECT WINDS TO REACH SCA CRITERIA WITH APPROACHING SYSTEM
TODAY AND POSSIBLE GALES IN WAKE OF SYSTEM ON WEDNESDAY.

.CAR...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT ZONES 11...15>17...32.
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT ZONES 1>4...5>6...10...31.
       SCA

FOSTER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Penobscot

When: January 15, 10:00 AM EST to January 16, 7:00 AM 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, Central Piscataquis

When: January 15, 10:00 AM EST to January 16, 7:00 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, Central Washington

When: January 15, 10:00 AM EST to January 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where: Central Washington forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Coastal Hancock

When: January 15, 10:00 AM EST to January 16, 7:00 AM 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: January 15, 10:00 AM EST to January 16, 7:00 AM 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: January 15, 10:00 AM EST to January 16, 7:00 AM 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, Southern Penobscot

When: January 15, 10:00 AM EST to January 16, 7:00 AM 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: January 15, 10:00 AM EST to January 16, 7:00 AM 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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, January 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: 5278150, 5278151, 5278152, 5278153, 5278154, 5278155, 5278156, 5278157.