Hello everyone!

Today will feature continued quiet weather as high pressure retains control over our area. Some moisture spilling over the top of this high is resulting in patchy mid/high clouds this morning, but most places should see at least a few breaks of sun especially earlier in the day. These clouds are actually attributable to Tropical Storm Cristobal which made history yesterday by retaining its tropical cyclone status as it tracked through Wisconsin, farther northwest than any other storm recorded since 1851.

Thankfully, the tropical humidity associated with Cristobal’s remnants is headed for Hudson Bay (!) today while we’ll remain relatively cool and dry with onshore flow off the Gulf of Maine. Look for high temps ranging from 60 right along the shoreline to 70 for much of the coastal plain/foothills/mountains to near 80 in far southwestern NH. Some patchy drizzle and fog may develop this evening as southeasterly flow starts bringing marine air inland.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today is starting off overcast for all but a few lucky folks in central NH. This is due to a passing disturbance drifting along a warm front located just southwest of our area. As we move through the day and that disturbance continues moving southeast, expect a gradual transition from overcast skies this morning to sunnier skies this afternoon. Unlike most days where clearing is in the forecast, the mountains should actually be among the first to get glimpses of sun since the pocket of moisture responsible for these clouds is too high in the atmosphere to be substantially impacted by upslope/downslope flow. The coastline will hang onto clouds the longest before clearing near sunset.

Temps today will fall right around long-term averages for this time of year, ranging from 65 in the mountains to near 80 in southern NH.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today’s weather is about as good as it gets in New England this time of year, and perhaps (depending on your preferences) ever. Morning satellite imagery shows clear skies area-wide, and sunshine is expected to stick around for most of the rest of the day. A few mid/high clouds will drift through the area later this afternoon, but that should be it. Dew points will sit in the 30-40 degree range for most of the area which I consider the “sweet spot” between bone-dry and too humid. Temps will hit their early-summer sweet spot too, ranging from 65 up in the mountains to 75 along most of the coastal plain to near 80 in far southern NH. Northerly breezes should keep the sea breeze confined to the far southern tips of Midcoast peninsulas. Enjoy the spectacular weather!

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature cooler temps and generally drier conditions as Canadian air arrives behind yesterday’s cold front. This cool air will be arriving faster aloft than at the surface, especially after a little bit of daytime heating. As a result, we’ll be dealing with an enhanced vertical temperature gradient and afternoon clouds/showers. Again, most folks won’t get rained on, and those that do won’t have to deal with it for long. The odds of afternoon showers are highest in Maine after noon.

Before we have to deal with this afternoon’s clouds and showers, we’ll have to get rid of this morning’s cloud cover. It is most abundant over the mountains and is gradually beginning to thin in southern NH and adjacent parts of southern Maine. Expect downsloping to continue bringing breaks of sunshine to the foothills and coastal plain, especially in NH. Meanwhile, upsloping will keep the mountains pretty well socked in with overcast skies.

Temps today will be delightfully cool, ranging from around 60 in the mountains to around 70 in southern NH.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature a round of fairly widespread showers and thunderstorms as a cold front crosses the region from west to east. Before the front arrives, we’re seeing a few showers over northern parts of the region associated with remnants of last night’s storms over NY. These will continue moving east, and should depart far northeastern parts of the area in a couple hours. Behind that initial wave of showers, we’ll see partly to mostly sunny skies develop.

This sunshine is the key ingredient for severe thunderstorm formation this afternoon. Areas experiencing sunshine this morning (mostly the coastal plain) will see temps soar into the mid/upper 80s (away from the immediate coastline). That heat, combined with high humidity (it’ll feel pretty rotten out there this morning) will provide the fuel for thunderstorms to develop this afternoon.

Storms will first pop up in the mountains a little before noon today. Because there won’t be as much heat (fuel) in the mountains, with temps only topping out in the low/mid 70s, the storms initially won’t be very strong. There really isn’t much risk for severe weather (damaging winds/hail) until around 1-2 PM when storms move onto the coastal plain where more fuel is available. When this does happen, expect a line or two of fairly strong storms to develop. The main threats from storms today will be lightning, gusty winds, and possibly some small hail.

Storms will move offshore later in the afternoon as cooler and drier air begins pouring in from Canada on the back of a breezy NW wind. A few brief showers are possible in the early evening as that drier air takes a little while to actually get here.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Warm and (somewhat) muggy weather will return today as southwesterly breezes kick up ahead of a cold front to our west. High temps will range from 80 in the mountains and along much of the southern coastline (south of Portland) to the upper 80s inland. The Midcoast, as per usual, will remain a bit cooler in the mid 70s. Dew points will cross the 60 degree threshold for most southern areas today, meaning today counts as muggy in my book. If you favor the 65 degree threshold for mugginess, that criteria will be met south/east of I-95.

Satellite imagery and a quick glance out the window this morning reveals mostly cloudy skies across southern portions of the region and mostly sunny skies up in the north/mountains. Expect the northern edge of the cloud shield to drift slowly south today, though points south of Portland will likely remain overcast for most if not all of today. The sunshine, warmth, and increasing humidity will support a few scattered showers in northern parts of the area this afternoon. Much like the past few days, these showers will not impact everyone, and those that do see one won’t be rained on for very long.

More widespread shower and thunderstorm activity will arrive tomorrow as the cold front rolls through.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

The beautiful northwest breezes we’ve enjoyed for the past few days are flipping around to the west/west-southwest today as high pressure slides offshore. That means that we’ll start to see temps rise as warmer air infiltrates from the southwest. High temps today will range from 70 in the mountains and right along the midcoast to 80 across much of the interior/foothills to near 90 in southern NH.

Skies across the region this morning are mostly sunny outside of the mountains, and this will generally remain the case through the rest of the day. We’ll see more sun than clouds especially in southern/eastern parts of the area and especially this morning before some cumulus develop in response to daytime heating this afternoon. A few of those cumulus may get just tall enough to produce a few raindrops later this afternoon in northeastern parts of the area, but much like yesterday, most of the area will be dry for most of the day even with a few showers cruising around.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

After several days (weeks?) of clear skies and dry conditions, we’re finally going to get a (very little) bit of rain today as a weak area of low pressure drifts through Quebec. Unfortunately, our radar site in Gray is down for repairs so assessing where showers are located this morning is a bit trickier. Based on the observational data that is available, it looks like the mountains and northeastern parts of the area (Augusta/Waterville and points north/east) have the best shot at some raindrops this morning while the middle part of the region sees overcast skies but dry conditions, and far southwestern parts of the area (SW NH) get a few peeks of sunshine.

That sunshine will try to advance northeast towards Portland later this morning, but even if we are able to manage a few sunny breaks, today will be far from bluebird. The main concern will be the extent to which the surface can be heated by the sun to support some afternoon shower activity. Right now, the best instability (for thunderstorms) will remain to our southwest, though SW NH could get some boomers later in the day. For the rest of us, brief showers will pop up a little after noon and will drift east. Not everyone will get one of these showers, and those that do won’t be under any given shower for very long. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait a while for any substantial rain. If this dry pattern persists deeper into the summer, we’re going to have to start talking about drought pretty soon.

High temps today will vary considerably from north (mid/upper 50s) to south (mid/upper 70s) largely because a warm front is draped over the central part of the region, and because southwestern parts of the area have a much better shot at breaks of sunshine.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature slightly warmer temps as the core of the cold airmass we’ve been dealing with for the past several days slides off to our east. In its place, we’ll see warmer air begin to filter into the region from the west. That means high temps today will be a solid 5-10 degrees warmer than what we saw yesterday, ranging from around 60 in the mountains and along the coast to 75 in southern NH. The price we’ll pay for the warmer weather will be a few clouds drifting into the region from the west, especially this afternoon. Overall, it will be another lovely day in New England.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Expect cool temperatures and generally calm weather today as high pressure slides by just to our south. That means that yesterday’s northwesterly breezes will continue today, but won’t be quite as strong. As a result, we’ll look for similar patterns regarding temps and cloud cover. For warmest temps and sunniest skies, head to the coastline where the influence of downsloping will be strongest. The mountains will remain a bit cooler, though we’ll run out of low-level moisture for upslope clouds/showers today which means that even though temps will be cooler in the north/mountains, skies should be partly/mostly sunny at least for a few hours this morning.

One small “fly in the ointment” today will be the passage of a pocket of very cold air aloft. This feature means that temperatures, even though cool at the surface, will decrease rapidly with height in the lower atmosphere. When this happens, we tend to see increased chances for shower activity in the afternoon. Around lunchtime (or perhaps a bit before), you’ll notice clouds start to develop as this vertical temperature contrast approaches a critical threshold. These clouds will grow taller and more widespread in the early afternoon, which is when they’ll begin to drop some rain showers. Not everyone will see rain this afternoon, and those that do won’t see it for long (15-30 minutes at most). Just be aware if you have outdoor plans that this morning might be a better time to get those in if you have the option. At the moment, it doesn’t appear that these showers will become tall and strong enough to produce thunder, though an isolated rumble can’t be totally ruled out in southern NH. Clouds and showers will fade as we approach sunset and the vertical temperature contrast subsides.

As mentioned before, temps today will be on the chillier side of normal and will range from the upper 40s in the mountains to upper 50s/low 60s along the coastal plain.

-Jack