As one of the warmest Novembers on record comes to a close in central Aroostook County, the region is receiving another round of snowfall, offering a good start for local winter recreationists.
With two storms slated for this week, grooming of the 12 miles of cross-country ski trails was underway at Presque Isle’s Nordic Heritage Center. The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s ski team started some training there Monday, although the trails were rough, said Tom Chasse, a volunteer groomer with the Nordic Heritage Center and owner of Bike, Board and Ski in Presque Isle.
“If we get 4 inches or more of snow tomorrow, we’ll try to groom with the Ginzu [a snowmobile-led trail groomer] and start the process of getting skiing going,” Chasse said Tuesday.
In the St. John Valley, the Fort Kent Outdoor Center also has started grooming its cross-country trails, expecting to host its first high school race on Monday, Dec. 12.
The early start to cross-country skiing in The County comes as the region is set to finish one of its warmest Novembers since records began in 1939, according to the National Weather Service in Caribou.
As of Tuesday, the station projects that the month will end with an average temperature of 36.8 degrees, tying with November 2009 for second warmest, said Todd Foisy, science and operations officer at the Caribou station. Other projections estimated that the month could end as the third or fourth warmest, he said.
The warmest November on record in Caribou was in 2011, when the month’s average temperature was 37.9 degrees. The third warmest November was in 2006 (36.7 degrees) and the fourth warmest in 1953 (36.5 degrees), according to Foisy.
Along with periods of rain, early-to-mid November brought mild days to The County that allowed farmers to clear and plow fields later into the season. Snowfall in the days before and after Thanksgiving brought 10.5 inches of snow to Caribou, exactly the 30-year average, Foisy said.
While some of that snowfall melted, some of it has stayed on the ground, and more snow is expected before the month is over.
The National Weather Service forecast 6 to 8 inches of snow for most of Aroostook County from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday morning. Areas to the east and west of Millinocket could receive 4 to 6 inches of snow, and Greater Bangor and Down East could receive 1 to 2 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
All snow is expected across from Presque Isle north to the St. John Valley, while southern locations may also see sleet and freezing rain and Bangor and Down East can expect mostly rain, the forecast said.
Another weather system anticipated to start Wednesday evening could bring another 6 inches or more of snowfall to northern Maine and Aroostook County, the weather service said.
At Aroostook State Park in Presque Isle, home of more than 10 miles of cross-country ski trails around Quoggy Jo Mountain, park Director Scott Thompson is looking for more snow to start working the trails.
“We need a good foot to help level and then it is building base [upon which] we can set tracks,” he said.
After a good fall for hiking, Thompson is hoping the park will have ample snow to draw skiers and snowshoers this season. Last winter’s inconsistent snow and temperatures forced the park to cancel its annual February family fun day.
Bigrock Mountain, Aroostook County’s large alpine ski resort in Mars Hill, is planning to open Friday, Dec. 16, and this year, it will be introducing a new snow tubing park on a new slope.
Among snowmobilers in The County, some have ventured out for a short ride after the post-Thanksgiving snowfall, and a trickle of out-of-state visitors towing snowmobiles has started arriving. But they also will have to wait for more snow and consistently freezing temperatures, with most snowmobile clubs not starting to groom tracks until the middle of December.