Low pressure retrograding toward the maritimes brought heavy snow to the higher terrain of central Piscataquis County. Storm total snow accumulations ranged from 7 to 12 inches.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS CAR wrote it up.
Low pressure retrograding toward the maritimes brought heavy snow to the higher terrain of central Piscataquis County. Storm total snow accumulations ranged from 7 to 12 inches.
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 22, 2:40 PM EST, 5 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 240 PM EST WED DEC 22 2010 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY MOVE AWAY FROM THE CANADIAN MARITIMES THROUGH THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST ON FRIDAY AND RIDGE ACROSS THE REGION ON SATURDAY. A STRONG LOW PRESSURE COULD AFFECT THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE REGION EARLY NEXT WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/... THE SURGE OF MOISTURE ROTATING WWRD ARND THE OLD UPPER LOW SE OF THE MARITIMES HAS MOVED INTO THE FA FROM NEW BRUNSWICK THIS AFTN AS ADVERTISED. BEST POTENTIAL OF ACCUMULATING SNFL TNGT WILL BE ACROSS SRN AND WRN PTNS OF THE FA WHERE WEAK MID LVL WARM ADVCN AND/OR TOPOGRAPHICAL LIFTING WILL BE GREATEST...RESULTING IN 1 TO 3 IN THERE. LOCALLY HIGHER TOTALS ARE XPCTD ALG THE S SHORE OF MOOSEHEAD LAKE WHERE THE NRLY WIND FETCH ALONG THE LONG LENGTH OF THE LAKE HAS BEEN ENHANCING SNFL OVR THIS AREA EVEN MORE. SN/SN SHWRS SHOULD TAPER OFF LATE TNGT AS THE E-W UPPER TROF AXIS XNTDG FROM THE OLD OPEN N ATLC LOW BEGINS PIVOTING SWRD. CLDS AND FLURRIES WILL LIKELY HOLD ON ACROSS MUCH OF THE FA ON THU. BOTH LOWS TNGT AND HI TEMPS THU WILL BE COOLER...BUT STILL ABV NORMAL OVERALL. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... THE CHRISTMAS PORTION OF THE FORECAST WILL RESIDE IN THE TRANSITION BETWEEN TWO LOW PRESSURE STORM SYSTEMS. AS SUCH HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO SET IN OVER THE AREA ON FRIDAY AND LAST THROUGH THE WEEKEND. WINDS WILL BE THE MOST PROBLEMATIC FORECAST TO MAKE IN THIS PERIOD. A TIGHT GRADIENT BETWEEN THE EXITING LOW AND ARRIVING HIGH PRESSURE WILL CREATE A BREEZY OFFSHORE FLOW FRIDAY. EXPECT GUSTY WINDS AT TIME AS WELL...HOWEVER THE WINDS WILL BEGIN TO TAPER ON FRIDAY. IN SUMMARY WE HAVE A MODERATE CONFIDENCE IN THIS PERIOD OF THE FORECAST && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... IT APPEARS THAT A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE WILL SET UP SHOP OVER THE EASTERN US AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF CANADA. AS HAS BEEN DEPICTED OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS...A STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO TRAVEL UNDER THE TROUGH AND EVENTUALLY NORTHWARD ALONG THE EASTERN SEABOARD LATE SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY. THERE IS A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF UNCERTAINTY REGARDING THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM...MUCH OF WHICH IS BASED ON THE TROUGH CENTERED OVER THE AREA. THE MOST RECENT RUN OF MID RANGE MODELS INDICATES THAT THE SYSTEM WILL TRACK TO THE EAST OF MAINE WITH PRECIPITATION CHANCES MOST FOCUSED ALONG THE COAST AND DOWNEAST. ANY DEVIATION IN THIS TRACK TO THE WEST WILL LEAD TO A BETTER CHANCE OF SNOW FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHERN MAINE. ANYONE WITH TRAVEL PLANS FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK SHOULD KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON THE PROGRESSION OF THIS SYSTEM AS IT APPROACHES NEW ENGLAND. BY TUESDAY THE STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ITS TRACK AWAY FROM NEW ENGLAND WITH AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AND COLDER TEMPERATURES MOVING INTO THE REGION. && .AVIATION /19Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... NEAR TERM: LOW MVFR AND IFR FOR TAF SITES TNGT IMPROVING TO HI MVFR OR LOW VFR ON THU. SHORT TERM: IMPROVING CEILING AND VISIBILITY CONDITIONS AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES ON ON FRIDAY. GUSTY WINDS MAY CREATE CROSSWIND ISSUES AND TERMINALS ACROSS NORTHERN AND DOWNEAST MAINE. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: WE WILL CONT WITH THE GLW FOR GUSTS IN THE 35 TO 40 KT RANGE. MODELS INDICATE THAT THERE MAY BE SHORT PDS THRU THU WHERE WIND GUST MAY REMAIN BLO 35 KT...BUT NOT ENOUGH TO RE-CONFIGURE THE TIMING OF THE CURRENT WARNING. WENT A LITTLE ABV WW3 WV HTS DURG THIS TM. CURRENT GLW HAS BEEN XTND THRU THE END OF THE NEAR TERM. SHORT TERM: STRONG OFFSHORE FLOW WILL PREVAIL INTO FRIDAY. HOWEVER...GALE CONDITIONS SHOULD SUBSIDE BY SUNRISE FRIDAY. SEAS WILL LIKELY RESPOND SOON AFTERWARD. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. MARINE...GALE WARNING UNTIL 4 AM EST FRIDAY FOR ANZ050>052. && NEAR TERM...VJN SHORT TERM...LERICOS LONG TERM...CANTIN AVIATION...VJN MARINE...VJN/LERICOS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 225 PM EST WED DEC 22 2010 MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-231930- NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK-NORTHEAST AROOSTOOK-NORTHERN SOMERSET- NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS-NORTHERN PENOBSCOT-SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK- CENTRAL PISCATAQUIS-CENTRAL PENOBSCOT-SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT- INTERIOR HANCOCK-CENTRAL WASHINGTON-COASTAL HANCOCK- COASTAL WASHINGTON-SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS-NORTHERN WASHINGTON- 225 PM EST WED DEC 22 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL MAINE...NORTH CENTRAL MAINE...NORTHERN MAINE...SOUTHEAST MAINE AND WEST CENTRAL MAINE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ANZ050>052-231930- COASTAL WATERS FROM EASTPORT ME TO SCHOODIC POINT ME OUT 25 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM SCHOODIC POINT ME TO STONINGTON ME OUT 25 NM- INTRACOASTAL WATERS FROM SCHOODIC POINT ME TO STONINGTON ME- 225 PM EST WED DEC 22 2010 ...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EST FRIDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. GALE WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. GALE WARNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. VJN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Storm total snow accumulations ranged from 7 to 12 inches. Sustained winds of 15 to 25 mph...with occasional gusts to 35 mph...caused extensive blowing and drifting snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, December 2010
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: 273087.