By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
CARIBOU — Scenery throughout middle to northern parts of the county has taken on a more February look after the three snow events that have transpired since last Wednesday. While things are looking more standard in Presque Isle and Caribou as far as snowbanks are concerned, southern Aroostook’s snowpack appears to be going for the gold with over two feet of snow. Monticello is in the lead with their snow depth of just about 30 inches that’s a little above normal.
The major storm of this past week was over the weekend when flurries were flying from Houlton to Fort Kent. Monticello led that snow-list too, receiving 16.5 inches of the white stuff. Houlton was close behind with 16 inches, Fort Fairfield and Presque Isle showed themselves to be snowfall-contenders with 11 and 10.5 inches respectively. At 7.2 and 5.5 inches, Caribou and Limestone had a bit less to shovel.
Yesterday’s snowfall added even more for municipal department’s plows, with Tuesday morning measurements showing another inch for Caribou and Presque Isle. Houlton, for once this year, received a little less snow at about half an inch. Clayton Lake topped the chart with 4.5 from yesterday’s weather event.
These snowfalls accumulated atop last Wednesday’s storm, which left a high of 14 inches in Sherman. Seemingly a snow-magnet this year, Houlton received 12 inches. Mid-Aroostook County received considerably less snow, with 4.3 inches recorded in Presque Isle, 4 inches in Fort Fairfield, 3.5 in Limestone and 2.6 in Caribou.
Although most of the county’s snow fell on southern Aroostook soil, these three storms have helped boost Fort Kent’s snowpack for this weekend’s World Cup Biathlon (events require a solid foot of snow for athletes to compete in). Whether natural or man-made, the show will go on in Fort Kent this weekend as Biathlon coordinators are all set with their stockpiled snow. To assist their efforts, however, Fort Kent did receive a bit of snow this past week; 1 inch during the Feb. 2 storm, 5.5 inches during the Feb. 5 and 6 storm as well as receiving another 1.5 inches by Tuesday afternoon.
The County’s famous for being a winter wonderland, and this past week’s snow help the area dress the part.
“We had a strong low pressure that moved well south of the coast, but there was a trough low pressure branching off of it that moved along the coast of New England, that’s what brought us the snow,” explained meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Caribou Maureen Hastings.
