Richard Jagels, Emeritus Professor, Forest Biology
In late December, 1989 we completed the construction of our house in Winterport, and on Christmas eve fired up our new wood stove. When we woke up on Christmas day the house was very chilly and the outside temperature was 20 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. The pipes in our baseboard heating system had frozen, and the plumber who installed the system had to come out and defrost the pipes. After that, we installed antifreeze in the furnace system, and had no further frozen pipes. On January first, 1994, I began keeping a daily weather record and continue this record today. Winter temperatures below zero were common, and frequently dipped below minus 15F in the 1990s. Gradually that changed and today we are surprised to see an occasional minimum temperature below 0F.
Summer temperatures have also shifted. In 1978, when we arrived from living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, we were amused when locals complained if the temperature reached 80F. Now, of course, summer temperatures can top 90F. But, the most dramatic weather change for me has been the change in ice-out dates for Maine’s ponds and lakes. As a fisherman I eagerly await open water for spring fishing. While the beginning of May was as soon as I could wet a line in the past, I am now trolling streamer flies in early to mid-March some years. How climate change will affect migratory fish behavior is anybody’s guess.