My hometown of Caribou, Maine averages about 279 cm (110 inches) of snow per season, which typically spans from mid-November to late April. But October isn’t too early or May too late for a dusting or meaningful accumulation. Depending on your measure of cold and snow, winter is as long as six months.
But 2023-24 is anything but typical. Snowfall is significantly below normal. According to outdoor enthusiast site Snoflo: “Snowpack levels across the state are currently 35 percent of normal. The deepest snowpack in Maine was last observed at Caribou Wfo [Weather Forecast office] with a snowpack depth of 7 inches [17.8 cm], about 35 percent of normal when compared to it’s 20 inches [51 cm] average depth for this time of year”.
Local roads should be like tunnels, with looming plowed-aside snowbanks towering 3 meters (10 feet) high. The weekend just past (today is Tuesday), I saw none, when visiting Dad, whose health is greatly diminished. Don’t be fooled by the Featured Image, which looks out a window onto the backyard, property-marking tree line, and cropland. Dad owns about 40.5 hectares (100 acres)—of which about 60 percent is cultivated (the remainder mostly trees). Looking out onto the expanse, that’s not a lot of snow. Seriously.
Dad often sees wildlife—mainly deer and moose—along the tree line. I wasn’t so fortunate, although we did come upon deer during the Midnight drive from the airport in Presque Isle to my aunt’s house in Washburn. The husband-and-wife pastors from Dad’s church graciously gave my sister and I a ride.
Photo vitals: f/1.7, ISO 12, 1/710 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 11:28 p.m. EST, Feb. 17, 2024; Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.