CARIBOU, Maine — With the recent onslaught of storms in Aroostook, snowfall totals have placed Caribou in the top five for highest recorded snowfall in a single season.
As of Jan. 6, 68.9 inches of snow have covered Caribou since it started falling in 2016. Like Caribou, Presque Isle received over five feet, with a total of 64.6 inches so far. Van Buren and New Sweden also broke the five-foot total, and have respectively collected 68.5 and 64.8 inches of snow so far.
According to the figures compiled by the National Weather Service, many other Aroostook County towns came very close to the record mark, with a current total of 46.7 inches in Fort Kent, 57.8 recorded in Madawaska, and 49.1 in Bridgewater.
In additional to receiving the fourth highest recorded amount of snow in a season, Caribou also had the second latest snow on record.
“This is certainly quite a bit above normal,” NWS Forecaster Todd Foisy said of the snow totals, “but not quite on pace with our record setting winter in ‘07 and ‘08. It’s also interesting considering that the first snowfall on Nov. 21st was the second latest on record.”
While the abundance of snow can lead to treacherous roads and disruptive school/business closings, it can also take down structures and buildings if they are not properly maintained. Recently, Fort Fairfield’s Community Bandstand collapsed under the weight of snow.
According to a report in the Star-Herald, town officials are planning to rebuild the structure.
