CARIBOU, Maine — June weather has ranged from springlike to tropical in The County, with the latter half of the month bringing record-breaking heat and extremely dry conditions.
Some areas saw respite from the dryness Friday evening, June 26, as a thunderstorm targeted portions of central Aroostook, including the Presque Isle area, bringing 0.42 inches of rain and penny-sized hail.
Thunderstorms impacted parts of the area Saturday evening, bringing about 0.3 inches of rain to Presque Isle, while Caribou saw trace precipitation. In Houlton, each storm brought about 0.2 inches of rain.
The story of the month, however, is the late June hot spell that shattered existing records.
According to the National Weather Service Office in Caribou, Sunday, June 28, became the 13th consecutive day with a high of 80 degrees or more in Caribou. That broke the record for most consecutive days 80 degrees or warmer, with the old record of 12 days established just the day before on Saturday, June 27.
The previous record of 10 days in a row that reached 80 or higher occurred Aug. 14-23, 2015.
This June also broke the record for total days in the month reaching 80 or higher, which numbered 14. The old record of 13 days was set in 1976.
In addition, June experienced four days in June with high temperatures of 90 or above, as recorded in Caribou. The record of five days was set in 1949.
Weather service officials said Caribou averages two 90-degree days each summer, with the all-time record of 11 days set in the summer of 1944.
