Winter 2014

Volunteers needed to report snowfall totals

Mon, 03/24/2014 - 2:30pm

SUZI THAYER, Staff Reporter

At this time last spring, there were daffodils poking up through the ground, and forsythia bushes were getting ready to burst forth. With the ground still frozen and more snow in the forecast, it may still be a while before we see any of those cheerful, bright yellow blossoms. SUZI THAYER/Boothbay Register

March is almost over, and it's still too cold to spend a lot of quality time outside, unless you're doing something active to stay warm, but most of the snow has diminished due to a few warmer days and some recent rain.

But don't put away your winter boots yet. Another storm is potentially on the way, with the Midcoast expected to get the biggest dump.

“The track of the storm isn't 100 percent certain yet, but we're keeping an eye on it,” National Weather Service Meteorologist Nikki Becker said. “If it stays on the current track, we're looking at maybe three to four inches.”

But she said that if the storm comes a little closer to the coast, we could see a lot more.

Becker said the big news may be the wind. “We're looking at strong northerly winds in the Midcoast region,” she said.

Snow is expected to start falling late Tuesday and continue into Wednesday morning.

With a total snowfall of 79.6 inches in the Midcoast region from November 2013 to the end of February 2014 this past winter, and record cold temperatures in November, December and February, it's safe, if not technical, to say that this winter was a doozy.

Becker said that the information she gathers about temperature is based on a 30-year average. Based on average monthly temperatures from 1981 to 2010, November was 2 degrees below normal, December was 4.6 degrees below normal, January was normal, and February was 2 degrees below normal.

Becker's annual snowfall amounts are based on information supplied by volunteers. The snowfall amounts reported above were sent in from a volunteer in Newcastle. The next closest town to the Boothbay-Wiscasset area to supply information to the National Weather Service is Bath.

Becker said the National Weather Service Forecast offices in Gray would welcome a volunteer from the Wiscasset/Boothbay/Boothbay Harbor area who would be interested in gathering snowfall information next winter. All it would require is a yardstick and a call to Becker. She can be reached at 207-688-3216.

Meanwhile, keep your gloves and shovels handy.