Spring rang in with a soggy chill. The term April showers brings May flowers has rung true.

What You Need To Know

  • Snow is not uncommon in May

  • Average high temperatures are in the mid-60s

  • There is still measurable snow in May in Caribou

  • The coldest temperatures in Caribou are in February

This has been an interesting May with well above average temperatures. The average temperature for the beginning of May is between 60 and 65 degrees, depending on where you are in the state. Winter months bring the coldest temperatures north whereas along the coast temperatures are lower.

Friday the 13th surrounds a world of superstition, and in this case, the forecast was right there. In Caribou, we expected the high to hit 90 degrees. Could this be true? Isn’t even summer?

On May 13, 2022, the high in Caribou, did in fact, reach 90 degrees. This broke the previous record high of 78 degrees on May 13, 1992. The last time Caribou reached temperatures this high in the spring was in 2020, when the high was 91 degrees on May 28. On record, this was also the second earliest time it 90 degrees since May 9th in 1979.

This past winter, the snowfall total for Caribou was 123.1 inches, which is a little above average. The average snow total for winter is 118.2 inches. Snowfall is common during the early spring season. In 2020, it snowed 5.5 inches on May 9 and another 0.3 inches on May 12. Fast forward to this year, there is no snow left on the ground. This excludes any snow piles left behind from piles of plowed snow.

As a result, the fire danger has been significantly high. This led to a red flag warning for northern Maine.