While Mt. Katahdin lies in central Maine its average year round temperature is around a relatively cool 38.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The full range of temperatures that Maine has recorded ranges from a chilling -45 degrees to a steamy 100 degrees. While Maine does experience very cold winter months, it has all four seasons clearly represented. Covered in seemingly never ending forests of deciduous trees and spotted with multiple species of evergreen, Mt. Katahdin's surrounding valleys turn into a kaleidoscope of oranges, reds, yellows, and greens.
This is a view from Interstate-95 running north from the city of Bangor. You can see the majority of deciduous trees have already changed colors while the tops of the evergreen trees poke out above the canopy.
Precipitation around Mt. Katahdin is pretty consistent throughout the year, with lows around 2.58 inches in February and highs at 4.34 inches in October. Snowfall is pretty intense throughout the winter, further aiding in feeding the local stream and ponds from the spring runoff. Spring showers pick up in March and percipatation steadily increase through the summer rains, until the slightly drop in August and September before the winter snows return.
Often times, hikers on Mt. Katahdin will get to highest peak and be able to look down at the tops of clouds. Pictured here below are some lenticular cloud formations as observed while looking from Hamlin peak. There are seven or eight visible ponds below the clouds, evidence of the water table level surrounding the mountain. These ponds are often created from excessive runoff from precipitation on the mountain before the spring melt.
Mt. Katahdin's position jutting out of the relatively flat surrounding territory lends itself to exposure of high winds that can occur due to the Northern Trade Winds sweeping through from Canada and the western United States. The problem can quickly be compounded when played in turn with the ever famous North Eastern Winds, this disparity of high and low pressure and warm and cold air can cause quick forming storms to sweep in from the Atlantic, known as Nor'Easters.
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