Gulf of Maine Region

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook 

June 2015

Quarterly Climate Impacts 

and Outlook

Gulf of Maine Region

June 2015

www.drought.gov/drought/content/resources/reports

www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.

asp?lang=En&n=F2BDD611

 Gulf of Maine Significant Events - for March–May 2015

Precipitation Sea Surface Temperatures

Regional Climate Overview - for March–May 2015

Several strong storms hit the region in March and April. A storm from March 14 

to 15 dropped up to 60 cm (24 in.) of snow and 40 mm (1.60 in.) of rain. Winds 

gusted to 90 km/h (56 mph) in all three provinces, with a peak gust of 167 km/h 

(104 mph) in Grand Etang, NS. Moncton, NB, reported 12 hours of blizzard 

conditions. From March 17 to 18, another blizzard brought up to 50 cm (20 in.) 

of snow to Nova Scotia. A nor’easter from March 21 to 22 brought up to 36 cm 

(14 in.) of snow to the provinces. Blizzard conditions were reported for 18 hours 

in Bas Caraquet, NB, with seven hours of zero visibility. A storm from April 21 to 

22 dropped up to 108 mm (4 in) of rain, with wind gusts to 87 km/h (54 mph). 

Flood levels were exceeded along the St. John River in New Brunswick, leading 

to road closures. In addition, a ferry was unable to dock in Digby, NS, for 12 

hours because of rough seas. 

Above-normal snow depth lingered through March and April across the 

region. New Brunswick’s average snow depth at the end of March was five 

times normal. The Saint John airport had over 1 m (3 ft) of snow on the ground 

by March 31 compared to the normal 5 cm (2 in.). Several U.S. sites ranked 

their average March snow depth among their top five all-time greatest. The 

combination of snowpack and additional March precipitation contributed to 

multiple roof collapses throughout the region. At the end of April, Bas Caraquet, 

NB, still had record-deep snow, with 76 cm (30 in.) on the ground compared 

to the normal 2 cm (1 in.). Saint John, NB, and Charlottetown, PEI, had their 

greatest total snowfall (November–April) on record. 

In mid-April, ice jams caused flooding in northern Maine and northwestern New 

Brunswick. Multiple roads were closed in both areas. A mandatory evacuation 

order was put in place in Perth-Andover, NB, for two days, with a state of 

emergency also in place for several days. 

Spring sea surface temperatures in the Gulf 

of Maine were colder than normal by as 

much as 1°C (1.8°F) over all shallow coastal 

regions, especially along the Maine and New 

Brunswick coasts, southwest Nova Scotia, 

and Minas Basin. Cold anomalies were also 

present offshore in the central Gulf of Maine 

south of Penobscot Bay and over most of the 

Scotian Shelf. These cold anomalies continued 

from the strong winter cooling that started in 

February. Surface water over deeper basins 

in the Gulf of Maine (Wilkinson and Jordan 

Basins) still had weak [around 0.5°C (0.9°F)] 

warm anomalies left over from the strong 

warm anomalies that were present throughout 

2014 and even into winter 2015. 

Spring temperatures (averaged over March, 

April, and May) ranged from near normal to 

3°C (5.4°F) below normal. March was quite 

cold, with temperatures 2°C (3.6°F) to 5°C (9°F) 

below normal. For instance, Fredericton, NB, 

had only four days with temperatures above the 

freezing mark, compared to 22 days normally. 

April temperatures ranged from near normal 

in Massachusetts to 3°C (5.4°F) below normal 

in the Maritimes. April 6 was particularly cold, 

with 10 sites in New Brunswick setting or tying 

daily record lows and Caribou, ME, having its alltime lowest April temperature. May was quite 

warm, with temperatures 1°C (1.8°F) to 4°C 

(7.2°F) above normal. Massachusetts and New 

Hampshire each had a record-warm May, while 

Maine had its third warmest. 

Sea surface temperature anomalies based on 1985–2014. 

Mean SST anomalies from NOAA AVHRR data. Credit: 

University of Maine School of Marine Sciences and NERACOOS

Temperature

Snow storms in March and belownormal temperatures kept abovenormal snowpack in place through 

March and April. 

Severe thunderstorms struck the region in late May. Heavy 

rain caused flash flooding, and marble-sized hail was reported. 

Strong winds downed trees, caused thousands of power 

outages, and damaged homes and cars. A microburst with 

winds to 113 km/h (70 mph) occurred in Essex County, MA. 

The abundant snow that fell during winter had near- to belownormal water content in many areas; therefore, overall winter 

precipitation was near to below normal. Despite multiple 

storms, spring precipitation was also below normal. Dry 

conditions led to moderate drought in parts of New England 

and to abnormal dryness in parts of New Brunswick in May.

River and ice jam 

flooding caused 

road closures 

in northern 

Maine and New 

Brunswick in midand late April. 

Spring precipitation (accumulated during 

March, April, and May) ranged from 25% of 

normal to near normal for most of the region. 

Massachusetts and New Hampshire had their 

fourth driest spring. March was extremely 

dry in the U.S. and New Brunswick, with 

areas seeing 25–75% of normal precipitation. 

Maine and New Hampshire ranked this March 

among their top 12 driest. Conversely, March 

was wet in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward 

Island, with areas seeing up to 175% of normal 

precipitation. April precipitation ranged from 

50% of normal in the U.S. to near normal in 

the Maritimes. May was also extremely dry, 

with most of the region seeing from less than 

25% of normal precipitation to 75% of normal. 

Massachusetts had its second driest May, while 

New Hampshire had its 16th driest.

Departure from Normal

Temperature and precipitation normals based on 1981–2010. 

Canada and ocean precip data: Canadian Precipitation Analysis.

U.S. precipitation data: interpolated station data.

Departure from Normal Percent of Normal

Below-normal precipitation led 

to moderate drought conditions 

in parts of New England and 

abnormally dry conditions in 

parts of New Brunswick in May.
Regional Impacts - for March–May 2015

Regional Outlook - for Summer 2015 Gulf of Maine Region Partners

Environment Canada

www.ec.gc.ca

Northeast Regional Climate Center

www.nrcc.cornell.edu

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

www.noaa.gov

National Operational Hydrologic Remote Sensing Center

www.nohrsc.noaa.gov

NOAA Sea Grant Network 

www.seagrant.noaa.gov

Northeast River Forecast Center

www.erh.noaa.gov/nerfc

Climate Prediction Center

www.cpc.noaa.gov

Regional Climate Services

www.ncdc.noaa.gov/rcsd

Gulf of Maine Research Institute

www.gmri.org

State Climatologists

www.stateclimate.org

National Integrated Drought Information System 

www.drought.gov

Cooperative Institute for the North Atlantic Region

www.cinar.org

Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, Climate 

Network

www.gulfofmaine.org/climatenetwork

Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal and Ocean 

Systems

www.neracoos.org

University of Maine, School of Marine Sciences

www.umaine.edu/marine

Contacts

NOAA:

Ellen Mecray (Ellen.L.Mecray@noaa.gov)

Samantha Borisoff (samantha.borisoff@cornell.edu)

Environment Canada:

1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only)

819-997-2800 (long-distance charges apply)

enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca 

To receive this publication every quarter, sign up at http://

www.gulfofmaine.org/2/climate-network-climate-outlook.

Gulf of Maine Region

Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook 

June 2015 

www.drought.gov/drought/content/resources/reports

www.ec.gc.ca/eau-water/default.

asp?lang=En&n=F2BDD611

#regionalclimateoutlooks

Temperature

For June 

through August, 

Environment 

Canada is predicting

an increased 

chance of above-normal temperatures for the 

Maritimes. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center 

is forecasting an increased chance of abovenormal temperatures for Maine, northern and 

eastern New Hampshire, and part of Cape Cod. 

Equal chances are forecast elsewhere. 

Delayed Spring

Snow cover remained in place later into spring than normal for much of the region. The start of the 

growing season was delayed by up to a month, as many fields were too wet or still snow-covered in 

April. The late spring also contributed to above-average tree pollen counts, leading to a shortened but 

concentrated allergy season. In April and May, sea ice and frozen harbors around Prince Edward Island, 

northern Nova Scotia, and western Cape Breton delayed the start of the spring lobster and snow crab 

seasons by up to 11 days. Shellfish harvesters and ferry services were also delayed by the ice. In Maine, 

the ice fishing season was extended, but the start of the open water fishing season was delayed. 

Nova Scotia’s above-normal snow cover made it difficult for migratory birds and wildlife to find 

food, causing some to become weak or die. A late snowmelt in northern New England cut short the 

development period for amphibians that hatch in pools created by melted snow and need several months 

to grow legs before these pools dry up. Above-normal snowfall likely insulated blacklegged (deer) ticks, 

which transfer diseases to humans. 

Lingering snow cover caused Nova Scotia golf courses to open several weeks late and the Portland Sea 

Dogs baseball team to postpone their first two games of the season. In Prince Edward Island, snow cover 

and wet conditions made many seasonal roads impassable and delayed the opening of campgrounds and 

trails in some provincial parks. The harsh spring kept real estate agents from showing cottages in PEI and 

delayed new home construction in Nova Scotia. Spring weight restrictions were extended by a week in 

parts of the Maritimes so roads could recover from frost heaves.

Ice flows through the Cape Cod Canal in 

early March. Credit: Ron Horwood.

Probability of above-normal

Precipitation

Environment Canada and NOAA’s Climate 

Prediction Center are both predicting equal 

chances of above-, near-, or below-normal 

precipitation for June through August.

Climate Prediction 

Center map (right) 

produced on May 21.

A: Above-normal

EC: Equal chances of 

above-, near, or belownormal 

33: Probability of 

above-normal

Atlantic Hurricane Season

While the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season got 

an early start with Tropical Storm Ana in May, 

NOAA is predicting that the season will likely 

be below normal. There is a 70% chance of 

6–11 named storms. Of the named storms, 3–6 

could become hurricanes, with 0–2 of those 

becoming major hurricanes. The main driver 

of the forecast is El Niño, which is expected to 

help suppress hurricane development. 

Issued: May 27, 2015

El Niño

During May, ongoing and strengthening 

El Niño conditions were observed in the 

equatorial Pacific. NOAA’s Climate Prediction 

Center says there is a 90% chance of El Niño 

continuing through fall, with an 85% chance of 

it continuing through winter. El Niño impacts in 

the region are generally weak or insignificant, 

especially during summer. However, El Niño 

does impact hurricane activity. 

Drought Monitor

Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and northern New Brunswick were abnormally dry during 

spring due to a continued lack of precipitation. By late May, moderate drought conditions were present 

in Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and part of southern Maine. Stream flows were much 

below normal in these areas. Topsoil moisture as of May 31 was rated short or very short in 51% of New 

Hampshire. U.S. Department of Agriculture crop reports indicated that plant growth was slow due to 

lack of moisture, with some farmers already irrigating. The dry conditions also contributed to multiple 

wildfires in Maine and New Hampshire. Wildfires were also reported in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. 

Precipitation in early June helped ease dryness in some areas.

Percent normal stream flow map for May 

from U.S. Geological Survey. Red indicates 

much below normal (less than 10%), orange 

indicates below normal (10–24%), and green 

indicates normal (25–75%).

EC

33

A

Drought

Drought conditions were expected to 

improve during summer in Massachusetts, 

southern New Hampshire, and southern 

Maine. According to the Climate Prediction 

Center, conditions should improve “due to 

the proximity of the summer storm track, and 

the overall historical tendency for abovemedian precipitation during the past 10 to 15 

summers.” 

Issued: June 18, 2015

Environment Canada map 

(left) produced on May 31. 

Issued: June 11, 2015