Hello everyone!

Today will feature another step up in temperatures as a series of cold fronts line up to our west. One of those boundaries will approach our area today. Ahead of the front, winds will pick up from the southwest this morning. Sunny skies and a favorable wind direction should push temps into the 60s for most away from the mountains and Midcoast. Parts of southern NH and interior SW ME should make a good run towards 70.

The day will start off sunny but clouds from the front will quickly move into the mountains over the next couple hours. The best “forcing for ascent” (upward motion) associated with this system will be confined to the mountains and our friends up in Quebec. Thus while skies will be cloudy for much of the day up in the north, mostly sunny skies will hang on closer to the coast and especially in southern NH. A similar pattern will be observed with shower activity along the front which could be rather robust in the mountains (including thunder, small hail, and gusty winds) but is all but sure to avoid southern NH. The ME foothills/coastal plain has a modest chance for a passing shower this afternoon, but most of the day will be dry.

Our nest front will arrive tomorrow with more widespread shower/thunderstorm activity and the potential for heavy snow up in the mountains.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

In a true sign of moving towards mid-spring, we have our first real opportunity for afternoon showers/thunderstorms today as cool air aloft and warming temps near the surface set up conditions favorable for instability in the atmosphere. Sunshine this morning will push temps into the low 50s north/along the Midcoast and into the low 60s inland. As the midday hours approach, clouds will bubble up and start dropping some rain over the mountains. Showers will drift east/southeast this afternoon before fizzling out in the cooler air closer to the coastline this evening. Not everyone will see a shower, but I’d put the odds a bit above a coin toss in any given location. A few of the stronger showers might be able to squeak out a clap of thunder or two as well as some small hail. No severe weather is expected given the lack of low-level moisture to support deeper instability.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature continued cool weather and modestly unsettled conditions as Friday’s storm is rather slow to slip out into the Atlantic. Satellite imagery this morning shows a mix of sun and clouds across the area with the thickest overcast in the usual upslope spots and the best sunshine over southern NH. Expect this general trend to continue throughout the day, though clouds will become a bit more numerous this afternoon as daytime heating provides a bit of instability to the lower atmosphere. This instability will be enough to support a few brief and widely scattered showers this afternoon, especially in the south and along the coastal plain.

Temps today will remain a little on the cooler side of normal, ranging from the upper 40s north to mid 50s in the south.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature chilly temperatures and unsettled weather as yesterday’s storm lingers in the Gulf of Maine. Look for clouds to remain locked in place for most of the day with just a few breaks of sun possible in western NH this afternoon. Precipitation will continue to fall, especially this morning and especially closer to the coast. As the day goes on, rain and snow will transition more towards rain and showers will become fewer and farther between. Temps will rise into the low 40s up north and mid-upper 40s farther south.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Our late-season winter storm is more or less on track this morning as low pressure moves up towards Cape Cod en route back northwest to Boston. Ahead of the storm, winds have shifted around from the southeast to the northeast, and cooler air is now advancing from Canada.

Light rain and snow this morning will become steadier and heavier as the day goes on. With stronger dynamics arriving aloft, cool air will arrive not just from the north, but also from above. This should be the extra boost needed to flip rain over to snow along (most of) the coastal plain. Winter and spring will be battling it out along the I-95 corridor for much of the day with snow falling to the west and rain to the east. Some locations may see rain and snow change over several times as bands of heavier precip arrive with more cold air, and lulls give the warmth an opening to return. With that in mind, the best odds for meaningful accumulation are still above 500ft in elevation and west of I-95. Some of the higher hills and mountains are likely headed for over a foot of snow by the time the storm departs tomorrow.

As with almost any snow in April, whatever accumulates today will be extremely heavy and wet. It’ll only take 3-5″ or so before trees and power lines start coming down. So if you’re in the foothills/mountains, especially in central/southern NH, be ready for power outages that might last a little while.

Rain and snow will ease up a bit this afternoon as drier air moves in aloft before picking up again this evening. Blocking high pressure in the Atlantic means that this system isn’t going anywhere in a hurry, so we’ll be stuck with its effects through the day today into tomorrow.

High temps will range from the low 40s right along the coast this morning to the mid 30s inland.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature the slow approach of a strong late-season snowstorm, though you’d hardly know it looking outside this morning. Skies are crystal clear over most of Maine while clouds are only starting to advance into New Hampshire. Everything about this storm’s evolution will be slow thanks to strong “blocking” high pressure over eastern Canada.

The storm’s approach today will slowly push clouds from NH into ME and rain from VT into NH. With southeasterly winds ahead of the primary low over the Great Lakes, I’m not expecting any snow today unless you head above 3500ft in the Whites. Temps today will range from the mid 40s in SW NH under the thickest clouds and along the Midcoast with the strongest onshore flow to near 60 northeast of Augusta where sunshine will hold out the longest this morning.

Maine should remain mostly dry until the next phase of the storm begins tonight. That next phase involves, you guessed it, the development of a secondary area of low pressure over Cape Cod. As that storm rapidly intensifies, winds will back around to the northeast, temps will quickly fall, and rain will start changing over to snow even outside the higher summits. By tomorrow morning, snow will be falling across most of the area with rain confined to the immediate coast.

How much snow is expected? That’s always a tough question, but especially in the “shoulder season” where tiny changes in temperatures or precipitation rates can produce vastly different snow totals. Right now, it looks like 6-12″ is a good bet in the mountains and foothills, with elevation playing a big role in determining who ends up where in that range. As you slide out of the foothills into the coastal plain, 2-6″ is a better bet again with elevation playing a big part. Points east of I-95/I-295/Rt 1 will be lucky to pick up a slushy 1-2″ as the east-northeast wind is just onshore enough to keep precipitation more of a rain/snow mix, at least during the day.

This snow will be as heavy and wet as snow can come, which means that you only need about 3-5″ to start causing significant power outage concerns. This is especially true when east/northeast winds start gusting into the 25-35 mph range which is expected on Friday afternoon/evening. Unless you’re right along the coast, take some time today to prepare for power outages that could last a little while. Around this time last year, we had a similar storm drop 6-12″ of snow across much of the area and over 200,000 people lost power. Unfortunately, we may be headed for similar numbers with this one if current forecast expectations pan out. Thankfully, temps will jump back into the 50s this weekend so restoration efforts should be unencumbered by Mother Nature.

I’ll have more details on this storm either tonight or in tomorrow morning’s update.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today looks like a pretty nice day as high pressure slides off to our east. Morning low clouds are quickly burning off in parts of southern Maine as I write this and everyone should see mostly clear skies by lunchtime. As we move deeper into the afternoon, instability will start to build over western NH and a few showers will pop up as they might on a summer afternoon. These showers should stay west of the Maine border until around or a little after sunset.

High temps today will range from the mid 60s in the Connecticut River valley to the mid 40s along the Midcoast.

Enjoy the nice weather today, a late-season snowstorm appears to be en route for Friday. It ain’t summah yet, bub.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Northeast flow retains control over the area today as we sit wedged between low pressure south of Nova Scotia and high pressure up in Quebec. Just like the last few days, we’ll start off with more clouds than sun (especially in Maine, NH is pretty clear at the moment based on satellite imagery) with a gradual clearing trend as the day goes on. Most of us will see sunshine for at least part of the day, though few will see a “mostly sunny” day.

As the sun comes out in spots and the core of the cooler airmass aloft slides to our east, look for temps to increase a bit today compared to the past few days. Most spots should top out in the mid to upper 50s with a few low 60s in the CT Valley and a few high 40s in the far north and closer to Belfast/Camden.

Most of us will stay dry today though I can’t rule out a brief shower over central NH where the tiniest hint of instability will emerge this afternoon.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

You didn’t think we were just going to skip to late May, did you? That’s right, it’s still April and we’re still within spitting distance of the 45th parallel and that means we have more than a few cool/drizzly days ahead of us before summer is here to stay. With a backdoor cold front now settling down to our southwest, today will be one of those cool/drizzly days as northeasterly winds push a cool maritime airmass in our direction.

Satellite imagery shows clouds locked in place across most of the area with just a few breaks of sun in the mountains where easterly winds are downsloping a bit. This should be the general pattern for most of the morning until drier air starts to arrive just like yesterday. Parts of the area between Farmington and Belfast will clear out first, and thus will see the warmest temperatures in the low/mid 50s. Southern NH will stay cloudy all day and thus will stay cooler, in the mid/upper 40s. Drizzle will impact just about the whole area this morning but will retreat a bit towards NH and far SW ME this afternoon. Some steadier showers may impact far southwestern NH but don’t have enough momentum to move much past Manchester/Concord.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature cooler temps and cloudier skies as two storm systems approach the area, one from the northeast and the other from the southwest. Both storms will mostly fall apart as they arrive, but the former will bring cooler air/low clouds and the latter mid/high clouds especially this afternoon/evening. Look for winds shifting around to the east/northeast and temps dropping as a result. Highs will range from the mid 40s along the Midcoast to around 60 near Augusta where breaks of sunshine this afternoon and the offshore fetch of a NE wind will take the edge off the cooler air.

A few showers are possible from the southern storm over far SW NH this evening, but most of the region will remain dry again today outside of some patchy drizzle along the Midcoast.

-Jack