Maine: Difference between revisions

Maine has a humid continental climate ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Dfb''), with warm and sometimes humid summers, and long, cold and very snowy winters. Winters are especially severe in the northern and western parts of Maine, while coastal areas are moderated slightly by the [[Atlantic Ocean]], resulting in marginally milder winters and cooler summers than inland regions. Daytime highs are generally in the {{convert|75|–|85|F|C}} range throughout the state in July, with overnight lows in the high 50s{{spaces}}°F (around 15{{spaces}}°C). January temperatures range from highs near {{convert|30|F|C|abbr=on}} on the southern coast to overnight lows averaging below {{convert|0|F|C|abbr=on}} in the far north.<ref name="usgs_a">{{cite news|url=http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2135|access-date=November 6, 2011|title=New All Time Low Temperature Recorded in Maine|date=February 10, 2009|last=Lent|first=Robert|agency=U.S. Geological Survey}}</ref>

Precipitation in Maine is evenly distributed year-round, but with a slight summer maximum in northern/northwestern Maine and a slight late-fall or early-winter maximum along the coast due to "[[nor'easter]]s" or intense cold-season rain and snowstorms. In coastal Maine, the late spring and summer months are usually driest—a rarity across the Eastern United States. Maine has fewer days of thunderstorms than any other state east of the [[Rocky Mountains|Rockies]], with most of the state averaging fewer than twenty days of [[thunderstorm]]s a year. [[Tornado]]es are rare in Maine, with the state averaging two per year, although this number is increasing. Most severe thunderstorms and tornadoes occur in the southwestern interior portion of the state,<ref name="Annual average number of tornadoes">[http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016174155/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/img/climate/research/tornado/small/avgt5304.gif|date=October 16, 2011}} NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on October 24, 2006.</ref> where summer temperatures are often the warmest and the atmosphere is thus more unstable compared to northern and coastal areas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Summary of July 1st Tornadoes in Maine|url=https://www.weather.gov/media/gyx/tornado_forweb.pdf}}</ref> Maine rarely sees the direct landfall of [[tropical cyclone]]s, as they tend to recurve out to sea or are rapidly weakening by the time they reach the cooler waters of Maine.