Why April and May Are Likely to Be Cold, Damp, and Ugly in Maine

How many times in your life have you heard the old adage "April showers bring May flowers"? Kids in New England are taught that in kindergarten as a reminder that there are brighter days ahead, when it seems like nothing but doom and gloom outside.

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The reality is that spring has become a topsy-turvy time in Maine over the past several years. The unsettled weather has been caused by increasingly strong phenomena, El Niño and La Niña.

What is La Niña?

While El Niño gets all the press, La Niña can have the same amount of long-lasting affects on New England weather as El Niño. According to the New Hampshire Bulletin, when the two weather phenomena collide or begin a transition from one to another, it can put the entire region into a holding pattern of atmospheric conditions.

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El Niño is typically associated with warmth, which of course means that La Niña is commonly associated with cooling. And if you were hoping for a sunny and toasty spring, you don't want to read what's next.

National Weather Service Predicts Shift to La Niña

The National Weather Service released its annual three-month outlook recently, and at first glance, it doesn't look all that bad. It promises slightly above average temperatures for New England throughout April and May, and a reasonable amount of precipitation.

Iurii Malaschenko

But a deeper dive reveals that the NWS believes a transition from El Niño to La Niña is underway. What that will likely mean is that temperatures will be above-average in number only, with cool winds dampening the warmth.

Not only that, but La Niña could provide a highway for cloud cover to sit over Maine, Massachusetts, and the rest of New England.

April Showers Could Bring a Summer of... Showers

If the La Niña phenomena does take over New England for the summer, expect a whole lot of unsettled weather again. Rather than the scorchfest the region endured in 2022, La Niña could deliver the same up and down summer as 2023. The only difference would be a whole lot less humidity.