Hello everyone!

Today will feature the return of extreme (for our area) heat and humidity as west-southwesterly flow develops ahead of a cold front way to our northwest in Quebec. To start off this morning, we’ll get to enjoy some cloud cover moving in from Quebec ahead of a cluster of thunderstorms that formed along that frontal boundary yesterday. Those thunderstorms are located south of Quebec City and may actually survive into the northern part of our region over the next couple hours, bringing a round of heavy rain and a few rumbles of thunder.

As we move into the middle part of the day, clouds should fade especially across southern parts of the region. This sunshine will team up with breezy WSW winds to send temps into the low/mid 90s across the entire coastal plain and foothills region from central NH all the way to Waterville/Augusta and points northeast. The only exception will be right along the Midcoast shoreline where temps will be held in check somewhat by the Gulf of Maine. Mid to upper 80s are expected there. Up in the north, temps will also be a little cooler thanks to cloud cover and thunderstorm activity during the morning. Points between Greenville and Jackman (and continuing WSW into far northern NH) can expect highs in the upper 70s to low 80s. Dew points near 70 will push heat index values close to “dangerous” levels (>95F as determined by NWS standards, what counts for you will depend on many individual factors) across southwestern ME and southern NH.

Another round of showers and storms will develop well to our north this afternoon. These could drift south into the mountains this afternoon, bringing gusty winds, heavy rain, and lightning. If you’re escaping the heat through ascent to the high peaks, be mindful of the potential for storms this afternoon/evening. Otherwise, dry weather will prevail especially across southern parts of the area.

Tomorrow’s heat will be even worse.

-Jack