Wednesday marked the second day of an oppressive heat wave that has been hanging over the state since Tuesday, bringing extreme conditions with it.
On Wednesday, the National Weather Service reported that Caribou reached a high of 96 degrees, tying a record temperature set in 2020. A 96-degree high has been observed in Caribou four times since record-keeping began, with the city seeing its first record temperature 80 years ago on June 29, 1944. Since then, Caribou has experienced a 96 degree day three times; on May 22, 1977; on June 19, 2020 and most recently on Wednesday.
That reported temperature of 96 degrees doesn’t include the heat index, which was driven up to 103 degrees by high humidity and a high dew point temperature. With the heat index factored in, northern Maine was hotter than the famously-muggy Miami.
As temperatures dropped through the evening, the Caribou office also recorded that overnight air temperatures matched a record maximum low of 71 degrees for this forecast period. The record low was set on July 25, 2018.
Houlton saw a high of 95 degrees Wednesday, tying a daily heat record set in 2020. The highest air temperature recorded since records started for Houlton 1948 was a high of 99 degrees, set on Aug. 2, 1975.
Millinocket saw a high of 97 degrees, breaking the daily record of 95 degrees, set during the 2020 heat wave. A 117-year-old all-time record high of 101 degrees remains the hottest temperature recorded in Millinocket since records started in 1903.
Bangor saw its high of 95 tie the 1995 record daily temperature, 11 degrees shy of the all-time high temperature record of 104 degrees, set on Aug. 19, 1935.
Looking south, no records were tied or broken on Wednesday, although that could change on Thursday as the excessive heat warning issued by the NWS remains in effect through 8 p.m. this evening. Portland’s record daily high of 93 was set in 2020, the year with multiple days of record high temperatures across the state, and its all-time high of 103 was set in August of 1975.
For Augusta to break a daily high temperature record, today’s high would need to exceed 95 degrees, according to a Gray NWS forecaster. The capital city’s all time high of 100 degrees was set on Aug. 5, 1955.
High temperatures will persist through the day Thursday, ushering in thunderstorms in the evening which will bring some relief in the form of daytime temperatures in the 70s and 80s on Friday.
