With Double Digits Below Zero, Maine Could See The Lowest Temps of The Season Next Week
While everyone is talking about the upcoming and relatively small snowstorm this Friday it looks like the real story could be the bone-chilling temperatures early next week.
January is the coldest month in Maine. According to Weather Atlas, Portland averages 31 degrees during the day and 13 degrees at night.
In an article published in 2014, Portland Press Herald noted that the lowest temperature ever recorded in Portland was back on February 26, 1943, at a disturbingly cold temperature of minus 39.
While we're not looking quite that chilly after a certain point, the cold just hurts, right?
News Center Maine Meteorologist, Keith Carson described next Tuesday as "bananas cold".
How cold is "bananas cold" check out the model he put together:
It appears temperatures could reach -20 around northern New Gloucester, -22 near Fryeburg, and up north along the Canadian border all the way down to -26.
Carson shared another map indicating how far off these predicted temperatures are from the January average, and it ain't pretty. Purple as can be, as Keith says it, Full Barney Cold.
Temperatures like this are daunting, especially after seeing the mess in Virginia this past week. It's important to keep your vehicle stocked with necessities just to keep safe with such brutal temperatures.
According to CBS News, at -30 degrees, hypothermia can set in after approximately 10 minutes.
It is also important to be mindful of cold weather safety outside of the vehicle. Maine.gov explains that an average of 20 Mainers die each year due to hypothermia and of those 20, 3-4 die in their homes.
High-risk individuals include those over the age of 60, infants, those that abuse alcohol, those with mental illness, those who are homeless, and those on certain medications. Knowing this it is incredibly important to keep an eye on your neighbors and loved ones.
Symptoms of hypothermia include disorientation, sleepiness, pale or blue skin, numbness, slurred speech, and more.
If Santa didn't leave any under your tree it's definitely time to stock up on those winter essentials like gloves and a hat. In fact, 30% of your body's heat loss happens through the head.
As they say, if you don't like the weather in Maine, wait a minute. Things could shift for the warmer by Tuesday but painfully cold temperatures are inevitable. Better safe than chilly.
Check out these ways to prepare: