Winter Storm in Maine, March 20 to 21, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in Maine, March 20 to 21, 2002
Start: 2002-03-20T17:00
End: 2002-03-21T05:00
Location: Maine

March 20 to 21, 2002 · NWS CAR · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Low pressure tracking through the Gulf of Maine produced 8 to 12 inches of snow across Downeast areas. Localized totals up to 15 inches were reported across eastern portions of Washington county.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 9

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 tracking through the Gulf of Maine produced 8 to 12 inches of snow across Downeast areas. Localized totals up to 15 inches were reported across eastern portions of Washington county.

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 20, 4:10 PM EST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 4:10 PM EST, 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
330 PM EST WED MAR 20 2002

.SYNOPSIS...
LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE FROM THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND COAST TO JUST
EAST OF NOVA SCOTIA BY THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW ASSOCIATED WITH THE
STORM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT.  ANOTHER AREA OF LOW
PRESSURE WILL APPROACH FROM THE GREAT LAKES THURSDAY EVENING.  THIS LOW
WILL ALSO BRING A PERIOD OF SNOW...AND WILL BE FOLLOWED BY BLUSTERY
WINDS AND UNSEASONABLY COLD TEMPERATURES FOR FRIDAY.

.DISCUSSION...
THANKS FOR HEADS UP COORD GYX...

CONSIDERING LATEST MODEL GUIDANCE...ETA...AVN...GEM...UKMET...HAVE
DECIDED TO ISSUE WINTER ADVISORY FOR ALL DOWNEAST ZONES. CONSENSUS
QPF OF 3 TO 7 TENTHS SUPPORTED BY GOOD WAA TNGT AND MODERATE PVA.
INSPECTION OF ETA BUFKIT SHOWS BEST VERTICAL VELOCITIES...5 TO 10
MBS...OVERLAP WELL WITH SNOW PRODUCTION ZONE.  SO XPCTG 3-6 INTERIOR
DOWNEAST AND 2 TO 5 FOR DOWNEAST CSTL ZONES.

BNDRY TEMPS MARGINAL AT PCP ONSET...BUT PLENTY OF EVAP COOLING AND
DMNSHG ONSHORE FLOW WILL ALLOW SNOW LVLS TO REACH SFC QUICKLY.
ALSO...WILL MTN HIER TERRAIN AS MOST LIKELY TO RECIEVE THE 6 INCH
AMNTS.

MODELS NOW ADVERTISING A STRONGER MORE VIGOUROUS SFC WAVE ASSOCD
WITH ARCTIC BNDRY FOR THURSDAY NIGHT.  MODELS SPLIT ON THIS SCENARIO
WITH ETA...WRF...MM5 TAKING PCP ACROS NRN ME AND AVN...UKMET ACROSS
CST SXNS.  GBL GEM PRESENTS ACCEPTABLE COMPROMISE WITH WAVE TRACKING
ALG IMMEDIATE CST AND AXIS OF PCP SHIELD ACROSS CNTL HIGHLANDS.
THIS TRACK IS ALSO SOMEWHAT FAVORED BY CLIMO.

FRI THRU SUNDAY TIME RANGE...GOOD AGREEMENT ON STRONG POLAR VORTEX
OVER HUDSONS BAY AND CNTL QUEBEC AND GOOD LATE SEASON SHOT OF ARCTIC
AIR INTO NEW ENGLAND.  MOS OVERNIGHT LOWS IN THIS PERIOD LOOK TOO
COLD WHILE LAST PACKAGE LOOKED TOO WARM ON DAYTIME HIGHS SO TWEAKED
BOTH ACCORDINGLY.

NEXT WEEK...NRN STREAM WEAKENS AS POLAR VORTEX RETREATS...SRN STREAM
BCMS MORE ACTIVE AS LONG WAVE TROF AMPLIFIES OVR CNTL US.
MRF...ECMWF...GEM ALL SHOW ENERGY EJECTING TOWARDS GREAT LAKES WITH
ON WED-THU TIME PERIOD WITH LIKELY SCENARIO BEING RAIN FOR MAINE.

.CAR...SCA.

COBB

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Penobscot

When: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 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: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 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: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 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: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 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: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 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: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 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, Northern Washington

When: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 AM EST
Where: Northern Washington forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern Penobscot

When: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 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: March 20, 5:00 PM EST to March 21, 5:00 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, March 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: 5285251, 5285252, 5285253, 5285254, 5285255, 5285256, 5285257, 5285258, 5285259.