PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • December 5, 2025
Many parts of Maine were blasted with frigid air Thursday night into Friday morning, and meteorologists say the overnight cold temperatures broke decades-old records. Portland reported a low of 2 degrees, and Augusta reported a low of 3 as of 7 a.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Gusty winds made those single-digit temperatures feel even colder. First, a disruption in the polar vortex is helping build atmospheric pressure over the Arctic and Greenland. Another potential factor Butler pointed to is a high-pressure system building over the Pacific Ocean near Alaska.