Ellsworth Temperature–degrees F.   Jan. July Mean Max.  31 80 Mean Min. 11 57 Mean Number of freeze-days: 156

Downeast weather, like the rest of New England’s weather, can be described by one word: changeable. A fine morning can be followed by a rainy afternoon; a summer day of tropical heat can follow a cool, foggy one.

Our weather, and hence our climate, is affected by several factors: 1. nearness to the ocean and its tempering effect; 2. North American storm tracks, which converge on New England and Maritime Canada; and, 3. air masses from very different kinds of source regions, i.e.,  tropical oceans, continental interiors, sub-Arctic regions, and the cool ocean surface to the east. The interplay of these factors means that weather systems or storms hold sway over the area only briefly and rapidly move along.

Perhaps the most important storm for us is one called a “Nor’easter” which moves off the continent south of Maine and slowly across the Gulf of Maine with its winds spinning in a counter-clockwise direction. These moisture-laden winds blow over coastal Maine from a northeasterly direction, bringing quantities of rain in summer and some of our deepest snows in winter.

What is true of daily weather is also true of yearly climactic patterns. it is unlikely that any season will be like that season of the year before. “Normal” seasons or years are the exception rather than the rule.

The tables on this page show averages of several climactic results. These numbers should not be taken as exact but only as general indications of what to expect. A good rule to follow Downeast is to take what nature deals out knowing that good, bad, or indifferent, it won’t last long.