Hello everyone!

Today will feature cool temps, clear skies, and gusty NW winds as Canadian air arrives behind yesterday’s cold front. High temps will range from 25 in the mountains to 45 in southeastern NH. If you head outside, it will feel considerably chillier due to gusty NW winds. We may see a few spots gust to 40 mph today but most of us should remain in the 30-40 mph range. That’s low enough to avoid widespread power outages, though a few branches may come down on lines this afternoon. A few leftover high clouds along the coastline will depart over the next couple hours which will leave sunny skies for all but the highest summits.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature the arrival of warm air as a storm system cruises up the Saint Lawrence Valley and pushes a cold front in our direction. Ahead of that front, southwesterly breezes will be responsible for pushing warm air in our direction. This time of year, southwesterly winds are actually fairly cool for the Midcoast (east of Brunswick) because the Gulf of Maine is still fairly chilly. Similarly, some residual snowpack and the usual terrain features will conspire to keep cooler air locked in across the usual mountain/interior foothill spots. Both of these areas will are high temps in the upper 40s to low 50s today. Along the coastal plain of Maine, temps will be a bit warmer ranging from the mid/upper 50s near Augusta to around 60 in Portland to the upper 60s in interior York County. The warmest air will be reserved for southern NH where temps will soar above 70 today including right at the seacoast. A quick glance at satellite imagery shows just about no chance for sunshine anywhere in the region today as the clear skies associated with the system’s warm sector (behind the warm front and ahead of the cold front which is where we’ll be today) look to remain south of New York City.

As the cold front approaches this afternoon/evening, we’ll have to start thinking about the chance for showers and thunderstorms. A line of storms will form in New York early this afternoon before moving quickly east. They should arrive in western NH around 4-5 PM and may be strong enough to produce a damaging wind gust or two in the southwestern part of the state. Storms will weaken as they move east, and by the time they arrive in Maine around 6-7PM, they may not even be strong enough to produce thunder. Showers and storms will continue fading as they move offshore tonight.

Cooler and drier weather will return tomorrow.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

A weak storm is passing offshore to our south this morning, but it’s having some trouble moving smoothly into the Atlantic as it runs into a strong area of high pressure over Nova Scotia. As a result, we’ll be stuck with cool east/northeast flow, overcast skies, and plenty of drizzle/light rain. The steadiest rain will be found over southern parts of the area this morning. Some of that precipitation is falling as some light snow over the hills of Central NH but even there, only a coating-2″ of accumulation is expected. Mostly this is a rain event. High temps will remain surprisingly uniform across the area this afternoon, ranging from 35 in the mountains to a little above 40 along the coastal plain. Our next chance at some sunshine won’t come until Saturday as another warm storm system cruises through the region tomorrow.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature pretty much perfect early spring weather as high pressure slides over the region behind yesterday’s storm. Sunny skies are in control this morning though a few high clouds are starting to drift across southern Ontario in advance of our next storm system. Expect those clouds to arrive from west to east this afternoon. Temps will rise into the mid 30’s in the mountains and mid 50’s in southern NH. Get out and enjoy the lovely weather if you can while maintaining proper social distancing protocols. Fresh air really helps in times like these!

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature light rain and snow as a weak frontal system moves through the region. Light snow is falling across most of the area this morning but temps are in the mid 30s along the coast and with a southerly wind pushing temps to near 40, a change to rain is expected shortly. No accumulations are expected along the coastal plain. Farther inland, cold air damming will work its usual magic and keep temps in the low to mid 30s. As a result, the foothills can expect a coating to 2″ of snow. The higher terrain in the mountains will top out around 30 today and will pick up 2-4″ of snow.

While skies will be mostly cloudy for the majority of the day, skies should clear right around sunset. If you have a camera and a view to the west, this evening should treat you well.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature clear skies and cool temps as a strong area of high pressure passes through the region. Temps this morning are seasonably chilly, ranging from the low single digits int he mountains to the low 20s along the coast. Temps will rebound this afternoon under mostly sunny skies but will remain on the cooler side of what is typically expected in mid march. The mountains should top out around 25 while SW NH will enjoy warmer temps a little above 40. Full sunshine is expected across the region this morning but the sun will slowly fade behind mid/high clouds approaching ahead of our next weak storm system which will arrive tomorrow.

With the forecast completed, I figured I’d drop a quick note about my radio silence over the past few days. On Tuesday of last week, Cornell announced that classes would be conducted entirely online after spring break which for us is 3/28-4/5. After talking with some of the university higher-ups on Wednesday, it became clear to me that we weren’t going to make it all the way to spring break. With that in mind, I started packing up my stuff in preparation for leaving Friday. On Friday while in class, I learned that all classes were suspended until 4/6, at which point they would move online. That announcement touched off a mad dash to finish packing up and moving out before the other 10,000+ students living on-campus decided they needed to do that too. On Friday night, I drove back to Maine with (most of) my stuff. Because not everything fit the first time, I turned right around on Saturday morning to pick up the rest before coming back Saturday afternoon.

After 21 hours on the road and many more packing/moving/unpacking stuff, I’m now back up and running here in Maine and as such, my posts will continue as normal. Best of luck to all in this tough time, and remember to practice social distancing as best you can. I don’t know much about viruses but that seems like the best tool in our box at the moment.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

High pressure will settle into the region today behind yesterday’s cold front, leading to calm weather and continued mild temperatures. Satellite imagery this morning shows our typical deck of upslope clouds dammed against the higher terrain of both ME and NH while clear skies reign elsewhere. Expect that pattern to generally continue through the morning before mid/high clouds arrive from the west this afternoon as those upslope clouds fade. Temps today will settle down towards seasonal norms in the mountains (low to mid 30s) while remaining well above normal along the coastal plain (upper 40s to low 50s).

-Jack

Hello everyone!

A weak area of low pressure will pass to our north today which means we’ll be dealing with very warm weather, abundant cloud cover, and a couple rounds of precipitation. The first round of precip is in progress this morning across far northern areas. It’s falling as a light mix of snow and sleet based on observations from Rangely. This precip will remain light and confined to northern areas over the next few hours.

The second round of precip will have a better shot at impacting the entire region beginning later in the afternoon. This precip will be forced by the storm’s cold front and will fall as rain wherever it does fall. At the moment, it looks like we’ll see a line of showers enter the Connecticut River Valley around 6-7 PM before slowly falling apart as it moves east. If you live in northern parts of the area (north of Route 2) or in western NH, you can expect some showers. The farther southeast you go, the less likely the showers become. Either way, this is a low-impact event.

High temps will range from outrageously warm for mid-March along the coastal plain (mid 50’s for most, low to mid 60’s for southern NH) to seasonably mild in the mountains (low 40’s).

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature very warm weather for much of the region as southwesterly winds and partly sunny skies develop on the south side of a stalled frontal boundary located over southern Quebec/central Maine. Expect temps to surge into the 60s across the foothills/coastal plain with some low 70s possible near the MA border. A sea breeze will keep temps a bit cooler (near 50) south of Route 1 along the Midcoast. Temps will also be considerably cooler up in the mountains where highs in the mid to upper 40’s are expected.

Current satellite imagery suggests that skies across the region this morning will feature a mix of sun and clouds as warm air advection develops south of the frontal boundary discussed above. Partly cloudy conditions should persist through the mid/late afternoon at which point thicker clouds will begin to arrive from the west/southwest. A few showers are possible across northern parts of the area later this afternoon as that front shifts south, but the vast majority of us will remain dry until tomorrow.

Enjoy the unseasonably warm weather!

-Jack

Hello everyone!

After a couple days of near or slightly below-normal temperatures, light southwesterly breezes will bring us back above normal today. Expect high temps ranging from 35 in the north to 50 in the south. Skies will start off mostly sunny this morning before some mid/high clouds drift into the area this afternoon/evening.

Enjoy the nice weather!

-Jack