2017 A Year In Weather

It was another wild year in weather here in Maine. Lets take a look back at everything Mother Nature thew at us in 2017.
If you’re like me, you may have forgotten how warm the year started.  January 2017 had the 10th least amount of snow on record in Portland and was 4th mildest.

Mother Nature has some catch up to to in February, and did she ever.  Did you know, every time the Patriots win the Super Bowl, it snows in Portland within 4 days.  It happens 100% of the time.  That’s right Julian… four..

Snow piled up to a foot in some areas on February 9th. And 4 days later… Another storm.  Parts of Midcoast Maine received over 2 feet from that one. Augusta observed blizzard conditions.

The month would end 8th snowiest on record with 39.9″ in Portland.

The sap started running early in 2017 making for an unusual, but good sugaring season.

Winter wasn’t over yet though.  The highlight in March was the blizzard on the 14th. The snow came down so heavily, and the wind was so strong, Maine DOT pulled plows off the road, because they simply could not see.

A cruel joke by Mother Nature on April fools day brought winters season finale. It was one for the record books.

And luckily for me, April 1st was the opening day of Libs Dairy Treats across the street from our studio.

May 18th felt like mid summer. The temperature soared to 93 degrees.  That was a daily record, 2nd hottest May temp on record, and hottest that early in the season.

Severe weather season kicked off on June 27th with hail.  Just a few days later this amazing water spout made for some anxious moments on Sebago Lake.

Before the day was over, five twisters would damage four towns in only an 18 mile span including Sebago, Bridgton, Denmark, and Otisfield. The most on record in one day for the state.

Here are some of the memorable radar images from that day.


The town of Bridgton sustained some of the worst damage.

The rest of July was relatively quiet except for this Microburst in Kingfield, which uprooted hundreds of trees.

The highlight in August was the partial solar Eclipse on the 21st and the weather could not have been better.

This photo was taken by the talented Maine photographer Mike Leonard who  made the trip to Illinois to be in the path of totality.
The never ending summer continued well into Autumn.  September and October were the warmest on record in Portland.  But the fall went out with a bang, literally, in late October.

Peak wind gusts were in the 40 to 60 mph range for most towns October 30th.  A few communities had gusts as high as 70mph.

Many inches of rain in a short period also made the mighty Saco overflow it’s banks in Conway.

Winter started on time in Mid December with the first real snowfall and even some ice.

Christmas Day 2017 included a snow storm.  A Blizzard Warning was issued,but it wasn’t needed. Regardless, the storm brought 5″ of snow to Portland which is the 3rd biggest Christmas Day snow storm on record for the city.

The big story during the final week of the year was an arctic outbreak that rivaled some of the longest lasting frigid air in decades. My little radio shack thermometer recorded 24 below which was the coldest at my house since Jan 16th 2009.

Arctic sea smoke was common all week long along Maine Coast. Thanks to my neighbor Karen Knight who sent me this photo from Downeast Maine the morning of the 28th.

December 2017 was the coldest since 1989.  It’s shaping up to be a classic winter. Hang on for the ride.   From all of us here at CBS 13 and Fox 23, we wish you a wonderful year in weather in 2018.

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Charlie Lopresti

About Charlie Lopresti

Charlie makes up the "Weather Part" of CBS News 13s evening edition. A native New Englander, he grew up enjoying the area's exciting and sometimes wild weather.