June 2017 Gulf of Maine Region Climate Impacts and Outlook Quarterly Reports on Wet Spring

Read the latest update from the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment.

Drought conditions in the Gulf of Maine region eased this spring, with precipitation above normal for many areas between March and June. Sea surface temperatures in the Gulf of Maine remained warmer than normal in much of the Gulf’s western portions.

The newly released Gulf of Maine Region Quarterly Climate Impacts and Outlook (PDF) summarizes the spring’s major weather events, temperature and precipitation fluctuations from normal, and the seasonal outlook for Summer 2017. Both NOAA and Environment and Climate Change Canada predict an increased chance of above-normal temperatures.

Incorporating meteorological data generated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Outlook of an ongoing collaboration between the two agencies sparked by the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment (GOMC).

The Gulf of Maine Region Outlook is issued every March, June, September, and December. To view the June edition and to receive future copies, visit Climate Network.

Extreme Precipitation in the Gulf of Maine Region: Challenges and Responses

The Gulf of Maine region is experiencing more extreme precipitation events, raising concerns about flooding, damage to infrastructure, increased discharges from combined sewer overflows, and greater stormwater runoff impacts (from eutrophication to waterborne diseases).

Earlier this month, the Climate Network hosted an hour-long session on extreme precipitation with guest speakers and an overview of resources that the Climate Network has developed to help communities access sound science to aid in decision-making (e.g., the new Extreme Precipitation in Atlantic Canada website and the Climate Dashboard).

Two guest presenters — Cliff Sinnott, Executive Director of the Rockingham County Planning Commission in New Hampshire, and Rob Capozi, Adaptation Specialist with the New Brunswick Climate Change Secretariat — shared innovative approaches that their jurisdictions are taking to address this challenge.

View the video of this session.