An arctic cold front drove through the Northeast on the evening of the 27th. The upper shortwave trough was rapidly transitioning to negatively tilted and at its strongest forcing for ascent as it crossed the local area.
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The episode as NWS GYX wrote it up.
An arctic cold front drove through the Northeast on the evening of the 27th. The upper shortwave trough was rapidly transitioning to negatively tilted and at its strongest forcing for ascent as it crossed the local area. The temperatures at 850 hPa dropped from around -10 degrees Celsius in the evening to -19 degrees Celsius by morning. Low level lapse rates were very steep, approaching 9 degrees Celsius per kilometer. This led to some small amounts of low level CAPE, which considering the time of year were quite impressive. The result was a well organized line of snow squalls that affected the majority of the local forecast area, bringing widespread travel impacts due to dangerous short term blizzard conditions.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow squalls crossed the western lakes and mountains between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm. The Steven A. Bean Municipal Airport observed a visibility of less than 1/4 mile and a wind gust of 46 knots at 5:15 pm. Spotter in Sandy River reported visibility less than 100 feet in a snow squall.
Snow squalls crossed the interior between 6:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The Waterville Robert LaFleur Airport observed a visibility of 1/4 mile and a wind gust of 27 knots at 6:42 pm, and the Augusta State Airport observed a visibility of less than 1/4 mile and a wind gust of 29 knots at 7:03 pm.
Snow squalls crossed the interior between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The Sanford Seacoast Regional Airport observed a visibility of 1/2 mile and a wind gust of 32 knots at 7:14 pm, and area webcams confirmed visibility at or below 1/4 mile at times. Spotter near the airport reported .5 of snow and a visibility of less than 200 feet.
Snow squalls crossed the Midcoast between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The Wiscasset Airport observed a visibility of 1/4 mile and a wind gust of 28 knots at 7:27 pm.
Snow squalls crossed the Midcoast between 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm. The Knox County Regional Airport observed a visibility of 1/4 mile and a wind gust of 33 knots at 7:56 pm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, February 2022
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1009423, 1009424, 1009426, 1009427, 1009428.