While both winter and spring were wet, the winter was warm and the spring was cool, says Birkel.
The average statewide winter temperature was 20.1 F and the average statewide spring temperature was 38 F. The temperature in March, says Birkel, was the third coldest since 1984, behind 2015 and 2014.
Birkel says the climate in Maine and across the Northern Hemisphere is impacted by the declining extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice.
Birkel says one prominent view suggests a link between Arctic sea-ice loss and an increase in frequency of extreme climate events—heat and cold waves, record rain and snowfall—that have been observed across the Northern Hemisphere in the past decade.
Maine Climate News also contains information from the Maine Climate and Agriculture Network, which identifies data on climate change that could have the greatest impacts on agriculture.
Changes in average weather and extreme weather are affecting Maine agriculture, bringing both risks and potential opportunities, according to data compiled by the network.
The high temperatures can damage crops, including apples and peppers, as well as impact the health and productivity of dairy cows and other livestock.
The Maine Climate and Agriculture Network also reported the frequency of extreme storms in the state increased in 74 percent between 1948 and 2011.
Intense storms used to occur an average of once per year and they now occur an average of once per 7 months.
The frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events are expected to continue increasing in the coming decades.