Today will feature cool temps and breezy conditions as another area of Canadian high pressure builds in from the north. Look for high temps ranging from the mid 20s up north to the upper 30s in the south. Morning clouds will give way to sunshine this afternoon as low pressure moves farther off to our east. North/northwest winds will gust to 30 mph at times which isn’t enough to worry about power outages but will make it feel pretty chilly outside.
Warmer weather will return from the west beginning tomorrow.
Another strong cold front will move through the region today. As a result, we’ll transition from mild temps and a sea breeze midday to snow for most of the area by tonight. Thick cloud cover has overspread the region this morning ahead of the approaching storm system, but warm WSW winds will push temps to around 60 for much of the coastal plain and foothills west of I-95 and south of Lewiston-Laconia. Temps for the rest of the region will peak in the high 30s up north and mid 40s in the foothills/midcoast peninsulas.
Light rain showers are possible this morning and midday along the front itself, but steadier precip will hold off until mid/late afternoon. That’s when moisture from the storm system that has been bringing severe weather to the Deep South will arrive in our area. By that point, winds will shift around to the north and temps will be falling quickly. Most areas will see steady plain rain until around sunset when a changeover to snow will progress south. Dry air moving in from Canada will shut precip off before much snow can accumulate, especially in northern areas. Southern NH actually stands the best chance at seeing a slushy inch or two as precip lasts deeper into the night on the northern edge of the exiting storm system.
Today will feature slightly warmer temperatures across the area as the core of an Arctic airmass moves away to the east. Look for southwesterly winds to develop by this afternoon which will boost temps into the mid/upper 20s up north and mid 40s in southern NH. An onshore component will be added to the flow this afternoon along the coast, so cooler temps are expected there. Skies will start out mostly sunny and end up partly/mostly cloudy as a weak storm dies out on approach from the southwest.
For the first time in a little while, temperatures are actually noticeably below normal today as Arctic air pours in from the northwest. Despite the full force of the mid-March sun, temps will struggle to creep above 10 in the north and 20 in the south by this afternoon. Meanwhile, 10-20 mph NW winds with gusts up to 30-35 mph will drive wind chill values down to a few degrees on either side of zero. The upside is that outside the mountains, skies will be mostly clear.
Winter is back today, and our currently cool airmass will get a round of reinforcements from the Canadian Arctic this afternoon. Ahead of this secondary shot of cold air, snow showers and squalls will become widespread starting around noon and continuing through the evening. This morning, snow showers and squalls are mostly confined to the mountains. This will change as the front approaches this afternoon. Expect snow showers and squalls to move off the mountains midday, and will continue to affect just about everyone at times through the evening. The most intense activity will be up in the mountains and northern foothills, but everyone will likely see flakes at some point. Accumulations will range from a coating at best along the southern coastline to as much as 2-4″ in the favored mountain spots.
Temps will fall as the front moves through, dropping from the mid 30s along the coast and mid 20s up north late morning to around freezing along the coast and around 20 up north by this afternoon. Winds will also be rather gusty from the northwest, though most spots will top out around 35-45 mph which is still just shy of major power outage concerns.
Gusty NW winds are bringing winter back to our area this morning. Temps are seasonably cool across the area, and more cold air is headed our way. Today’s temperature forecast will be balanced by the strong March sun on one hand and the incoming Canadian airmass on the other. Spring will take the upper hand just long enough to boost temps above freezing downwind of the mountains while winter prevents even the shorelines from making it much above 40. Temps will fall again this afternoon as soon as the sun begins sinking lower in the western sky. Upslope flow will continue producing clouds and snow showers this morning in the usual spots, but as we run out of moisture to condense over the ridgelines, both snow showers and clouds will fade this afternoon.
The main story today will continue to be gusty winds, though those will be subsiding as well. 35-40 mph gusts won’t be enough to cause major/widespread power outage concerns, but it will make walking around outside feel rather chilly if you haven’t thrown on an extra layer or two.
It’s fifty-freaking-four degrees in Portland as I write this at *checks watch* 7:30 AM. The warm air ahead of yesterday’s front is starting to move out of our region, but we’ll need to wait for a secondary Arctic system to kick off the well-known New England “third winter” which follows the period we’ve just experienced (“fake spring”). As this cooler air moves into the area, westerly breezes will pick up into the 25-35 mph range with some gusts over 40 mph possible. This shouldn’t be enough to cause significant tree/power issues, but a scattered few outages are possible.
Winds will pick up more tonight as the Arctic front moves in with a line of snow squalls. These squalls could drop an inch or two of snow up in the mountains and may reduce visibility as they drop southeast towards the coast this evening. By midnight, temps will be back below freezing for all but the shorelines as we welcome an extended stretch of near/below normal temps.
Today will feature much warmer weather as our “false spring” (don’t worry, it will come to a crashing end soon) continues. Southwesterly winds will push temps into the 50s up north and 60s down south. Parts of southern NH will make a run at 70 depending on how much sunshine we can get. Skies will feature a mix of sun and clouds with the best shot for bright skies over southern and eastern areas, farther from the approaching front. Onshore southerly flow will hold temps down east of Portland. Most of the Midcoast south of Rt 1 will be lucky to crack 50.
The first of several cold fronts to shut down this early spring warmup will arrive late tonight with some showers especially in the mountains.
Our trend towards warmer weather will continue today as high pressure moves offshore and winds flip around to the south-southwest. This means that the warm spots will be found in southern NH and SW ME away from the coastline while points east of the Turnpike end up a little cooler due to onshore flow. Look for highs ranging from the low 40s in the far north and along the coast to the low 50s near Manchester. Skies look to be mostly sunny with a few mid/high clouds drifting through northern areas this afternoon.
Even warmer air arrives tomorrow before we flip the pattern and head towards below-normal temps for the weekend.
Today will feature the arrival of significantly warmer weather for much of the area especially downwind of the mountains. NW breezes will support sunshine and downsloping across much of the area but there’s no real Canadian air to move in and offset these warming influences. Thus we’ll be left with a rather mild day especially along the coast. Highs will range from the mid 30s up north to the upper 50s in southern NH and adjacent parts of SW ME.
Forecasterjack 