PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU MAINE 
8 AM EDT MON NOV 13 2000

...MAINE WINTER AWARENESS WEEK 2000: NOVEMBER 13 THROUGH
NOVEMBER 17...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL FEATURE A DIFFERENT
EDUCATIONAL TOPIC EACH DAY DURING THE AWARENESS WEEK.
TODAY'S TOPIC:

CLIMATOLOGY OF NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE'S WINTER
WEATHER AND SOURCES OF WEATHER INFORMATION.

AS WE MOVE INTO LATE FALL...IT IS ONCE AGAIN TIME TO REFRESH
YOUR MEMORY ABOUT WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS AND HOW YOU
CAN PLAN FOR THE LIFE THREATENING SITUATIONS THAT WINTER
WEATHER CAN BRING.

EACH YEAR...MANY PEOPLE TAKE WINTER WEATHER TOO
LIGHTLY...WHICH OFTEN RESULTS IN SERIOUS INJURY OR EVEN
DEATH. LAST WINTER FEATURED BELOW NORMAL SNOWFALL OVER
MUCH OF MAINE...HOWEVER NORTHERN SECTIONS EXPERIENCED
NEAR NORMAL SNOWFALL.  AFTER THE THIRD LEAST SNOWIEST
DECEMBER ON RECORD...THE NEW YEAR CAME IN WITH AVENGE. 
JANUARY WAS THE THIRD SNOWIEST ON RECORD.  WHILE
FEBRUARY FEATURED A VALENTINES DAY STORM WHICH DUMPED
1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW OVER A LARGE PART OF CENTRAL AND
NORTHERN MAINE.     

MANY CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN MAINER'S STILL REMEMBER THE
BLIZZARDS THAT STRUCK THE STATE IN MARCH OF 1993 AND
JANUARY OF 1978. THESE STORMS WERE DEADLY REMINDERS OF
HOW DANGEROUS WINTER STORMS CAN BE. NORTHERN MAINER'S
THINK BACK TO THE NEARLY 30 INCHES OF SNOW THAT FELL
DURING A MAJOR BLIZZARD IN MARCH OF 1984 WHILE LONG TIME
RESIDENTS REMEMBER THE WINTER OF 1954-55, WHICH WAS THE
SNOWIEST ON RECORD FOR MANY NORTHERN COMMUNITIES.

DURING THIS WEEK, PLEASE TAKE SOME TIME TO READ AND LISTEN
TO INFORMATION ABOUT WINTER STORMS AND WINTER WEATHER
TERMINOLOGY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, PLEASE REVIEW HOW YOU
CAN PROTECT YOURSELF FROM EXTREME COLD...SNOW AND OTHER
WINTER HAZARDS. 

SNOW ACROSS MAINE GENERALLY OCCURS IN TWO WAYS: 

1...FROM LARGE ORGANIZED WEATHER SYSTEMS THAT MOVE UP
THE EAST COAST ...TYPICALLY CALLED NOREASTER'S OR
NORTHEASTER'S. 

DURING A TYPICAL WINTER...THESE WEATHER SYSTEMS BRING
NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE SEVERAL MODERATE TO LARGE
PRECIPITATION EVENTS.  OVER NORTHERN AND CENTRAL AREAS
THE PRECIPITATION USUALLY FALLS AS SNOW WITH SNOW OR
MIXED PRECIPITATION OVER DOWNEAST MAINE.  THE STRONGEST
OF THESE STORMS SOMETIMES EVOLVE INTO BLIZZARDS. 

THESE STORM SYSTEMS CAN BE DIFFICULT TO PREDICT AT TIMES. A
SMALL SHIFT IN THE STORM TRACK CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN SHOVELING AND PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES.

2...ALBERTA CLIPPER TYPE SNOW OCCURS WHEN A FAST MOVING
SMALL AREA OF LOW PRESSURE RACES EAST FROM IT'S NAMESAKE
ORIGIN REGION AND CROSSES NEW ENGLAND.  THESE SYSTEMS
USUALLY DON'T HAVE A LOT OF MOISTURE TO WORK WITH AND
THUS PRODUCE SMALL SNOWFALLS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES. ONCE IN A
WHILE ONE OF THESE CLIPPERS REDEVELOPS AS IT REACHES THE
COAST RESULTING IN A MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL. 

DUE TO MAINE'S DIVERSE GEOGRAPHY AND PROXIMITY TO THE
ATLANTIC OCEAN...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS VARY GREATLY BY
REGION. IN GENERAL...SEASONAL SNOWFALL DECREASES NEAR THE
COAST AND INCREASES THE FARTHER NORTH ONE IS.  HOWEVER,
"NORMAL" SNOWFALL IS AN AVERAGE OF EXTREMES MEANING
THAT IN ANY GIVEN SNOW SEASON LARGE DEPARTURES FROM THE
NORM ARE POSSIBLE. 

NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE SNOWFALL BY GEOGRAPHICAL
REGION (INCHES): 

                                                AVERAGE  
DOWNEAST COAST ................................ 60 TO 70 ........ 
DOWNEAST INTERIOR ............................. 70 TO 90 ........
EAST CENTRAL .................................. 90 TO 110........ 
NORTHERN ...................................... 100 TO 120 ......
CENTRAL HIGHLANDS ............................. 110 TO 130 ...... 

DAILY WEATHER INFORMATION FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN
MAINE IS AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY FROM THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE. THESE FORECASTS ARE REGULARLY ISSUED 4
TIMES A DAY AND UPDATED AS OFTEN AS NECESSARY. 

NOAA WEATHER RADIO IS PRODUCED AND GENERATED AT THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. THE CARIBOU OFFICE DOES THE
PROGRAMMING FOR TRANSMITTERS ON  MARS HILL AT 162.525 MHZ
AND IN ELLSWORTH AT 162.400 MHZ.

SPECIALLY DESIGNED WEATHER RADIOS ARE AUTOMATICALLY
ALARMED AND ACTIVATED BY THE LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE WHEN A SEVERE WEATHER WARNING IS ISSUED. IN
THIS WAY...YOU CAN BE ALERTED TO SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY! THESE WEATHER RADIOS ARE AVAILABLE
AT LOCAL ELECTRONICS RETAILERS OR AS A SPECIAL FREQUENCY
ON CERTAIN AM/FM RADIOS.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE
ON CABLE TELEVISION ON THE WEATHER CHANNEL.

IN ADDITION...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECASTS CAN BE FOUND ON
THE INTERNET. FORECASTS FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE
CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEB-SITE AT THE FOLLOWING ADDRESS: 

  HTTP://WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/ER/CAR/ 

FORECASTS CAN ALSO BE OBTAINED BY CALLING 496-8931.


PREPARED BY HENDRICUS J. LULOFS...WARNING COORDINATION
METEOROLOGIST...NWS CARIBOU MAINE.