Staff Writer
CARIBOU — While shorts and thong sandels remain tucked away in closets, few would argue that January has been pleasantly warm. Even last week’s storm that dumped 18 inches of snow downstate was significantly affected by warm weather; while Presque Isle received 9.5 inches of snow, Houlton received 10.1 and Caribou received 8.5, those numbers would be noticeably higher had warm air not mixed into the storm and rapidly raised the temperatures in central,eastern and southern Aroostook County. The increased temperature caused the snow to fall much wetter than normal; it even rained at a few locations. The wet snow either melted upon contact with the ground or compacted existing snow into a shorter, more dense blanket covering the ground.
According to Mike Cantin, warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Caribou, as of Tuesday afternoon there was a snow depth of 9 inches in Caribou, though it was anticipated that other locations in the county might have more snow than that.
The warm temperatures that “saved” the area from the snow will expectedly remain until the end of the week producing high temperatures that are at or near the freezing point.
Cantin did warn, however, that the snow currently melting can ice over once the temperatures return to the teens, causing slick conditions
“Most of the roads have been well treated, but black ice can still be a factor especially in the morning,” he cautioned.
