New Maine All-Time Record Low Temperature Confirmed

Images (click to enlarge): Maine low temperatures Jan. 16, 2009 from National Weather Service; U.S. temperature departure from average Jan. 11-17, 2009 from Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin, NOAA/National Agricultural Statistics Service

PM Update (Feb. 13): It's getting big play from the usual suspects in certain layers of the blogosphere, but Dr. Jeff does his usual Masterful job of putting this particular stat in proper perspective today:

Record -50°F confirmed for Maine; is this inconsistent with global warming?

BTW, Cold Weather Guys, how's your forecast for a "MEMORABLE wintry weather period" this week working out for you?

Original post:
The National Weather Service confirmed on Tuesday that the low temperature of -50°F (-45.3°C) recorded Jan. 16 at Big Black River in far northern Maine is a new all-time record low for the state. This ties a previous all-time record low in Vermont for the lowest in the 6 New England states. The NWS statement says:

On the morning of January 16, as New England was under the grip of an arctic blast, an all-time low temperature of -50° Fahrenheit was recorded for Maine. It was recorded at 7:30 a.m. EST at a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stream gauge on the Big Black River near Depot Mountain in northwestern Aroostook County. The previous record, -48° Fahrenheit, was set in Van Buren, Maine almost 84 years earlier, on January 19, 1925.

"It is exciting to be a part of this historic event," said George Jacobson, Maine State Climatologist and Member of the State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC), the group that vetted this measurement for consideration as a new all time minimum temperature record for the State of Maine. "But the real benefit to the State is in good weather and climate data being recorded daily by the NWS, USGS and other partners in the scientific community."

The lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. was -80° Fahrenheit on January 23, 1971 at Prospect Creek, Alaska, according the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC). The lowest temperature recorded in the lower 48 states was -70° Fahrenheit on January 20, 1954 at Rogers Pass, Mont.

Some Maine low temperatures for Jan. 16 were:

LOCATION            MIN TEMPS    TIME/DATE    COMMENTS
                     DEGREES        OF
                      (F)       MEASUREMENT

MAINE

...AROOSTOOK COUNTY...
   BIG BLACK RIVER        -50   731 AM  1/16 USGS BBRM1
   NINEMILE BRIDGE        -48   841 AM  1/16 USGS NINM1
   ALLAGASH               -47   722 AM  1/16 COOP ALGM1
   DICKEY                 -45   833 AM  1/16 USGS DICM1
   LILLE                  -45   717 AM  1/16 AR034
   MASARDIS               -45   840 AM  1/16 USGS MASM1
   CLAYTON LAKE           -44   832 AM  1/16 COOP CLTM1
   GRAND ISLE             -44   722 AM  1/16 SPOTTER
   OXBOW                  -43   842 AM  1/16 COOP OXBM1
   FORT KENT MILLS        -41   853 AM  1/16 AR054
   STOCKHOLM              -41   717 AM  1/16 SPOTTER
   VAN BUREN              -41   845 AM  1/16 COOP VANM1
   EAGLE LAKE             -40   902 AM  1/16 COOP EGLM1
   FORT KENT              -40   851 AM  1/16 COOP FISM1
   FOX BROOK              -40   835 AM  1/16 COOP FOXM1
   PRESQUE ISLE           -39   758 AM  1/16 AWOS KPQI
   LIMESTONE              -38   917 AM  1/16 COOP LIZM1
   CARIBOU WFO            -37   718 AM  1/16 ASOS KCAR
   MADAWASKA              -37   832 AM  1/16 AR037
   SHERMAN                -37   902 AM  1/16 AR072
   HOULTON                -35   838 AM  1/16 ASOS KHUL
   LIMESTONE              -35   717 AM  1/16 AR035
   FRENCHVILLE            -30   835 AM  1/16 ASOS KFVE
   ASHLAND                -28   716 AM  1/16 SPOTTER
   KNOWLES CORNER         -18   839 AM  1/16 COOP KNCM1

...HANCOCK COUNTY...
   WALTHAM                -30   725 AM  1/16 SPOTTER
   PENOBSCOT              -20   717 AM  1/16 HA037
   BAR HARBOR             -15   831 AM  1/16 AWOS KBHB
   ACADIA NATIONAL PARK   -10   830 AM  1/16 COOP ANPM1
   PROSPECT HARBOR        -10   842 AM  1/16 COOP PPHM1
   STONINGTON RAINWISE     -5   844 AM  1/16 COOP STOM1

...PENOBSCOT COUNTY...
   GRINDSTONE             -38   837 AM  1/16 USGS GRNM1
   SHIN POND              -38   843 AM  1/16 USGS SBSM1
   CORINNA                -31   852 AM  1/16 COOP CORM1
   OLD TOWN               -30   841 AM  1/16 COOP OLDM1
   MATTAWAMKEAG           -29   840 AM  1/16 USGS MATM1
   WEST ENFIELD           -28   845 AM  1/16 USGS WENM1
   BANGOR                 -24   831 AM  1/16 ASOS KBGR
   MILLINOCKET            -24   841 AM  1/16 ASOS KMLT
   PATTEN                 -24   842 AM  1/16 COOP PATM1
   SUNKHAZE N.W.R.        -22   843 AM  1/16 COOP SHZM1
   DIXMONT                -12   833 AM  1/16 COOP DIXM1

...PISCATAQUIS COUNTY...
   KOKADJO                -39   839 AM  1/16 COOP KKJM1
   ABBOT VILLAGE          -37   811 AM  1/16 USGS ABTM1
   BLANCHARD              -35   831 AM  1/16 USGS BLAM1
   GUILFORD               -35   723 AM  1/16 COOP GULM1
   RIPOGENUS DAM          -35   843 AM  1/16 COOP RIPM1
   SEBEC LAKE             -32   838 AM  1/16 COOP GREM1
   DOVER-FOXCROFT         -31   852 AM  1/16 COOP DFXM1
   MILO                   -24   851 AM  1/16 COOP MLDM1
   GREENVILLE             -21   837 AM  1/16 ASOS KGNR

...SOMERSET COUNTY...
   SAINT AURELIE          -44   844 AM  1/16 COOP STAM1
   TURNER BROOK RAWS      -38   845 AM  1/16 COOP TNBM1

...WASHINGTON COUNTY...
   DANFORTH               -35   833 AM  1/16 COOP DANM1
   WESLEY                 -31   845 AM  1/16 USGS WSLM1
   CHERRYFIELD            -28   831 AM  1/16 USGS CFDM1
   EPPING                 -26   835 AM  1/16 USGS EPPM1
   MOOSEHORN N.W.R.       -26   841 AM  1/16 COOP MWRM1
   MACHIAS                -25   840 AM  1/16 USGS MACM1
   DENNYSVILLE            -24   834 AM  1/16 USGS DVLM1
   PRINCETON              -22   842 AM  1/16 COOP PNNM1
   WHITING                -21   801 AM  1/16 WS038
   GRAND LAKE STREAM      -20   836 AM  1/16 COOP GLSM1
   TOPSFIELD              -20   852 AM  1/16 COOP TOPM1
   WAITE                  -20   722 AM  1/16 WS034
   EAST MACHIAS           -18   852 AM  1/16 COOP ESTM1
   JONESBORO              -14   838 AM  1/16 COOP JONM1
   JONESPORT RAINWISE     -13   839 AM  1/16 COOP JPTM1
   CUTLER RAINWISE        -12   833 AM  1/16 COOP CUTM1
   MILBRIDGE              -12   723 AM  1/16 WS031
   EASTPORT                -9   834 AM  1/16 COOP EPOM1