Moving To Maine and Need Help

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Winter extends through March. There are many winter sports to enjoy.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by tropicgirl

Is the winter a normal 3 months long (Dec-Feb), for example, or is it more like 6 months? I could do 3, but 6 is questionable. What is the normal temperature during winter months?
Thanks in advance for all your insights.

It depends on what you mean by "winter." My wife works with a kid from southern California who started wearing his winter coat (indoors) in early October. He considers anything below 70 degrees to be arctic.

In coastal Maine, we can usually start looking for the first snowflakes around Thanksgiving. Sometimes earlier. Sometimes later. But winter typically doesn't hit full force until late December / January. Mid-January through mid-February is reliably cold; it usually doesn't get into the 30s most days and dips down into single digits at night. Things usually start to thaw by early to mid-March --- though snow in May isn't impossible.

Every year varies, but generally I would classify the Maine year as:

Winter = December through March
Spring = April and May
Summer = June through August
Autumn = September through November

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by tropicgirl

Hi all,
I am reading with interest these posts on life in Maine. I am somewhat like MarshBird in that I'm coming from a nice warm climate and wanting to keep a "coastal" living style. Found some great old Colonial type homes (love that architecture!) in Penobscot. Am somewhat concerned that most of Maine seems to be 97% Caucasian as I like the mix of cultures. I think we all have something to learn from one another. Can anyone tell me what the winters are like - besides cold and snowy I mean? Is the winter a normal 3 months long (Dec-Feb), for example, or is it more like 6 months? I could do 3, but 6 is questionable. What is the normal temperature during winter months?
Thanks in advance for all your insights.

You would have been better off putting this in the Bangor forum rather than Portland- Penobscot is about 100+ miles further north from Portland, and the weather can be quite a bit different. Portland benefits by being further south, and from its proximity to the ocean, which moderates the temperature somewhat.

Winters in Penobscot can be quite variable, depending in part on the flow of polar air and the jet-stream. Sometimes we have snow before the end of October, and sometimes it lasts until the end of April. On the other hand, sometimes it doesn't hit until December, and could be mostly gone by March. I have seen temperatures in Jan/Feb get down as low as -25 for a few weeks, or sometimes staying relatively mild (above zero) for most of the winter. It can often be a surprise, but with the proper preparations and clothing it is not so bad as some people might think. I love the heat, and lived in some extremely warm climates for a period of time, but I can handle it here too.

Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about the 'mix of cultures', it is what it is.