CARIBOU, Maine — Officials at the National Weather Service in Caribou said Wednesday that a warming trend that began in June has continued into July, and the outlook for August calls for the above-average temperatures to stick around.
At the same time, officials from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued an air-quality alert for July 28, 2016 saying that ground-level ozone concentrations will be climbing during the day and are expected to reach unhealthy levels, putting individuals such as children and those with respiratory issues at risk.
In its air-quality alert, DEP officials cautioned that children, healthy adults who exert themselves and those with respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder could experience reduced lung function and irritation. Officials suggested adjusting schedules to avoid strenuous activity in the afternoon.
Slightly above normal temperatures were first recorded in June, Todd Foisy, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Caribou, said Wednesday. A warm spell hit the state from June 18 to 22 and June 25 to 28, during which a number of locations saw several days of temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. Some areas of northern Maine saw six days in which the temperature was over 80 degrees, while 11 days in the lower Penobscot Valley area were over 80 degrees.
Foisy said that so far this month, temperatures in Bangor are 4.3 degrees above the average of 72 degrees. Houlton is seeing temperatures 0.7 degrees higher than the average of 64 degrees, and Caribou is 0.8 degrees higher than its normal average of that same temperature.
The trend of the state receiving near to below average rainfall in June also has continued into July, according to Foisy. Thus far, Bangor has picked up 2.69 inches of rain, which is .18 inches below normal. In Houlton, 3.5 inches of rain has accumulated, which is .45 inches below average. In Caribou, the city has picked up 5.37 inches of rain, which is 1.9 inches below average.
According to the NWS Climate Prediction Center, temperatures in August are predicted to be above average. The average high temperature for the state that month is 74.3 degrees.
“We have really seen high temperatures that have continued for multiple days this month,” said Foisy. “Even into next week, temperatures are predicted to be high.”
For information on the health impacts of extreme heat and appropriate actions to take, visit the Maine Centers For Disease Control website
