Caribou and Bangor are among 10 locations in the country that have experienced the most dramatic average temperature increases over the past decade, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.
The federal agency found that between 2015 and 2024, Caribou saw the second-largest temperature spike in the U.S., with an increase of more than 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Bangor saw an increase of 4 degrees.
Jessica Spaccio, a climatologist with NOAA’s regional climate center, said cooler places are warming faster than areas that are already warm, largely due to the lack of snowpack that insulates the ground from the sun’s rays.
“We see the winters in Maine warming faster than the summers, and nighttime temperatures warming faster than daytime temperatures,” she says. “With no nighttime cooling people can’t open up their homes to cool so that impacts human health. But it also impacts agricultural health, such as dairy cows that need to cool.”
During June of this year, Caribou recorded its all-time warmest low temperature of 71 degrees Fahrenheit.
Spaccio says warming will continue, but changes in weather patterns could occasionally disrupt that trend.
Data from 215 locations across the U.S. were analyzed. The average increase nationwide was 1.38 degrees Fahrenheit.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
