Name: Heavy Snow in Maine, December 1, 2004
Start: 2004-12-01T18:00
End: 2004-12-01T23:00
Location: Maine

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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: 1

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 across Maine brought heavy wet snow to the region. Storm total snow accumulations ranged from 8 to 12 inches. The combination of heavy wet snow on branches and gusty winds caused many branches to snap and fall on power lines...with the heavy wet snow causing some trees and branches to lean on power lines. The branches and trees contacting power lines contributed to power outages. Around 11,500 customers experienced power outages for varying durations of time. Snow on roads led to slippery conditions which contributed to many traffic accidents.

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 Dec 1, 4:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 1, 4:50 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 1, 5:02 AM EST, 12 hours 58 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
502 AM EST WED DEC 1 2004

MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-021000-
CENTRAL PENOBSCOT ME-CENTRAL PISCATAQUIS ME-CENTRAL WASHINGTON ME-
COASTAL HANCOCK ME-COASTAL WASHINGTON ME-INTERIOR HANCOCK ME-
NORTHEAST AROOSTOOK ME-NORTHERN PENOBSCOT ME-NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS ME-
NORTHERN SOMERSET ME-NORTHERN WASHINGTON ME-NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK ME-
SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK ME-SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT ME-SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS ME-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALLAGASH...BANGOR...BAR HARBOR...
BAXTER ST PARK...BLUE HILL...BROWNVILLE JUNCTION...CARIBOU...
CHERRYFIELD...CLAYTON LAKE...DANFORTH...DEBOULLIE MOUNTAIN...
DEXTER...DOVER-FOXCROFT...EAGLE LAKE...EASTPORT...ELLSWORTH...
ESTCOURT STATION...FORT FAIRFIELD...FORT KENT...GREENVILLE...
GUILFORD...HOULTON...HOWLAND...LIMESTONE...LINCOLN...MACHIAS...
MADAWASKA...MILLINOCKET...MOUNT KATAHDIN...NEWPORT...OLD TOWN...
PATTEN...PORTAGE...PRESQUE ISLE...RIPOGENUS...SAINT PAMPHILE...
VAN BUREN AND VANCEBORO
502 AM EST WED DEC 1 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE.

.DAY ONE...
LOW PRESSURE APPROACHING FROM THE WEST WILL SPREAD SNOW...MAINLY
ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS TODAY INTO TONIGHT. THE SNOW MAY MIX WITH OR
CHANGE TO RAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING. ACROSS DOWNEAST AREAS
RAIN IS EXPECTED...HOWEVER THERE MAY BE A PERIOD OF SNOW OR FREEZING
RAIN ACROSS THE INTERIOR DOWNEAST EARLY THIS MORNING. A WINTER STORM
WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK COUNTY TODAY INTO
TONIGHT. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR MUCH OF THE
REMAINDER OF NORTHERN MAINE. DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE WINTER
WEATHER MESSAGE (PWMWSWCAR) ISSUED BY THIS OFFICE.

A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING FOR
THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS AS WELL AS ALL OF INTERIOR AND COASTAL DOWNEAST
MAINE. DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE WEATHER MESSAGE (PWMNPWCAR) ISSUED
BY THIS OFFICE.

A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS TODAY THROUGH
EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTERS ARE REQUESTED TO RELAY ANY SIGNIFICANT REPORTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN CARIBOU TODAY.

DUDA

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northwest Aroostook

When: December 1, 6:00 PM EST to 11:00 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)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maine in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, December 2004

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: 5429769.