AUGUSTA, Maine — In what has been an unusually warm and snow-free winter throughout the state, members of Maine’s River Flow Advisory Commission weren’t overly concerned about ice jams and flooding.
“[Rivers] are above normal statewide and have been for the past few months,” Greg Stewart of the U.S. Geological Survey in Maine told the commission at their annual spring meeting on Thursday morning.
“Obviously, the rain and warm temperatures have been drivers,” added Stewart.
Stewart also touched on ice conditions throughout the state, and the above-normal temperatures and rain that the state has been experiencing throughout the winter have allowed for very little ice to form on the state’s rivers. In addition, the chances for flooding this spring are slim.
“Even in northern Maine where there is ice, it’s well below normal,” Stewart said.
Maureen Hastings, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Caribou, noted that the state as a whole has experienced a much balmier winter than last year, in which Bangor set an all-time record for the coldest February.
Hastings said a “very, very strong El Nino” has been a major contributor to the warm winter. She added Maine experienced its fourth-warmest fall on record.
“It’s a big change from what we saw last year,” Hastings said.
Officials from the weather service also reported no heavy rains are expected in the long-term forecast, nor are any below-normal temperatures.
Temperatures on Thursday throughout the state were hovering in the teens but were expected to slowly rise throughout the weekend.
