Hello everyone!

Today will feature another day of hot and humid weather and afternoon thunderstorms, though today’s fireworks show looks a bit more widespread and intense as a cold front approaches from the north. Skies are partly to mostly sunny this morning and remnant cloud cover especially over the north should gradually subside over the next few hours. The strong sunshine and southwesterly breezes will push temps into the mid 80s up north and low to mid 90s down south, with marine influences once again limited to the islands of Penobscot Bay and the southern tips of Midcoast peninsulas.

By around noon, storms will begin to fire up in the mountains as the front approaches. Storms will then move towards the coast during the afternoon hours and could pack quite the punch given how much energy our hot and humid airmass will provide. All cells will produce dangerous lightning and heavy rain while many will also pack strong winds capable of producing power outages. A few folks might see some hail today, but the middle part of the atmosphere isn’t quite set up right for widespread big hail concerns. The lower part of the atmosphere is teetering on the edge of being favorable for tornadoes, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a warning or two issued for someone in the Sebago Lake region. Make sure you have a way of receiving warning information in the event one is issued for your location.

Storms will sweep offshore this evening with another broken line of showers along a secondary boundary potentially moving into the mountains around sunset.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Unfortunately, we will once again find ourselves on the wrong side of a cold front today with west-southwest winds bringing hot and humid air into the region. Look for highs similar to yesterday’s or perhaps even a bit hotter, ranging from the mid/upper 80s way in the north to the mid 90s for much of the coastal plain. Some parts of southern NH may even make a run at the century mark. Stifling dew points near 70 will make the unpleasant temperatures feel even more brutal. Make sure to take proper precautions if you’re especially sensitive to the heat or have to be outside during the hottest part of the day.

Skies will be mostly sunny this morning before clouds start to pop up again this afternoon. With so much energy in place for thunderstorms, all we need is a spark to get some action going. It’s a bit less obvious where that spark will come from today, but I’d expect to see at least one or two storms develop in the mountains midafternoon. Any storms that can get going will pose a threat for heavy rain, lightning, and gusty winds.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

To be honest, it is pretty hard to put a positive spin on today’s forecast as a strong Bermuda high sends miserably hot and humid air in our direction. Under partly to mostly sunny skies this morning, temps will warm rapidly into the 80s north and 90s south. Westerly winds ahead of a cold front positioned to our north will keep the sea breeze at bay so you’ll have to hop on a boat to get any relief from the ocean. Temps along the coastal plain will rise into the mid 90s with dew points nearing 70 which means it’ll feel like 100-105. That’s about as horrid as it gets in this part of the country, so make sure to drink plenty of water and retreat either inside to A/C or to the nearest body of cold water during the hottest afternoon hours.

With all that heat and humidity, there will be plenty of fuel for thunderstorms today, though it’s less clear how many sparks will be available to ignite activity. The mountains and the approaching front should set off at least a few thunderstorms this afternoon north of Route 2. These storms will then attempt to move southeast towards the coast and are likely to have the most success north of a Fryeburg-Portland line. Any storms that are able to develop will have the potential to produce some pretty nasty winds given the way the lower atmosphere is set up today. Lightning and heavy rain will also pose a threat to those outside as a storm approaches.

Storms will settle down this evening and we’ll settle in for another disgustingly hot and humid night.

Winter will come, eventually.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

A warm front will move through the area today as we stare down the barrel of our next heat wave. This front will bring plenty of clouds as well as the chance for some brief showers up in the mountains and foothills. As winds flip back around to the south, fog will roll in off the ocean especially along the Midcoast. Temps today will be pushed upward by the increasingly warm airmass and downward by the abundant cloud cover so nothing too notable is expected. Most of us should end up within a few degrees of 80 with parts of southern NH making a run towards the mid/upper 80s and the midcoast staying cooler under the fog and onshore flow.

The heat really kicks in tomorrow as sunnier skies develop after morning fog burns off and winds continue out of the southwest. Expect highs in the upper 80s for the northern cool spots and low to mid 90s elsewhere outside the midcoast. No precipitation is expected as any frontal systems remain well to our north.

I’ll be back Monday with another update.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

A weak area of low pressure will approach the area from the southeast today, resulting in cooler temps, cloudier skies, and the chance for some showers. Showers are most likely near the coastline where some rain is already falling this morning. Nothing too heavy is expected, but with drought conditions expanding across the area, any moisture is welcome news.

This low pressure area will track just offshore today, and by this afternoon there should be much less in the way of precipitation and clouds will begin to slowly break up from southwest to northeast. Parts of the mountains especially closer to Quebec may actually manage a mostly sunny day farther from the storm’s center. As a result, temps will be warmest up in the north with highs in the mid 70s while most of the rest of the area is stuck in the upper 60s to low 70s. The cool spot today will be along the Midcoast where highs will struggle towards 60 under patchy fog and cool onshore flow.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature another pretty nice day as high pressure slides overhead. Morning fog in a few of the inland valleys will burn off to mostly sunny skies across the area this afternoon. As the center of the high moves offshore, winds will start to turn around to the south so this afternoon’s sea breeze will get an assist in cooling down the Midcoast. High temps will range from the mid/upper 70s in the interior foothills to the mid/high 60s way up north and along the coast.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Northwesterly breezes are importing some much-needed cooler and drier air today as yesterday’s cold front sails off to the east. Expect morning clouds to clear out along the coast while upsloping and cooler air aloft keeps a lid on sunshine in the north. High temps will range from the mid 60s under those clouds up north to the mid 70s along the southern coast. The NW wind behind the front will keep any sea breezes at bay so today may even be warmer than yesterday for parts of the Midcoast. That said, the humidity will be much much lower today so everyone will be better off from a comfort perspective.

Enjoy the lovely weather!

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature the passage of the cold front which brought showers and storms to parts of the area last night. Ahead of the front, expect continued warm and humid weather especially over eastern parts of the area. Onshore flow will continue to keep the midcoast on the cooler side at the cost of some occasionally-dense fog. Breaks of sun will try to emerge ahead of the front this morning, especially over southern NH and interior points northeast of Portland. Temps will climb into the mid to high 70s for most with a few low 80s right along the I-95 corridor.

The warm and humid airmass ahead of the cold front will support another round of showers and storms starting midday. The front is a little too early for major severe weather, but areas along/east of I-95 between Brunswick and Waterville might be able to squeeze out just enough energy for a loud boomah or two. For the rest of us, showers will be more of the rule starting midday and continuing into the afternoon. With the remnants of Tropical Storm Claudette passing by just to our southeast, there will be plenty of moisture to support locally heavy rain this afternoon.

By sunset, the front will be offshore and NW breezes will be pushing much cooler air into the region.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature warmer and more humid weather as southwesterly breezes kick up and push tropical air into the region. That warm air will be ushered in by a warm front this morning which is bringing some showers to parts of the mountains and foothills as I write this around 9:30 EDT. Behind the front, skies clear out with mostly sunny weather expected for the midday hours. Clouds will then increase this afternoon as a cold front approaches from the west.

High temps this afternoon will range from around 70 along the Midcoast where cool onshore winds will provide relief from the heat to the low 90s in interior SW ME and southern NH. With dew points surging towards 70, this airmass will feel positively unpleasant. Thankfully it’s only here for a day.

Showers and thunderstorms will develop to our west this afternoon and move into NH around 6-7 PM. Western areas will be most at risk for severe weather with damaging winds, hail, lightning, heavy rain, and tornadoes all on the menu of possibilities from the CT Valley northeast into the Maine mountains. Storms will weaken considerably as they approach the coast around/after sunset.

As a programming note, being out in MT for the summer, the weekend schedule of camping and mountain climbing doesn’t overlap well with posting updates at a time they’d be useful on Saturdays/Sundays. My apologies for that this past weekend. In the future I’ll endeavor to include a weekend outlook with Friday’s update to address this.

-Jack

Hello everyone!

Today will feature increasing clouds ahead of our next cold front which will be approaching from the west. Skies are clear across the region this morning but clouds are spreading across Quebec and New York as I write this around 9:15. I’d expect to start seeing clouds filtering in from the west in the early to mid afternoon across our area. This morning’s sunshine and light southerly flow ahead of the front will push temps into the low 80s for most of the area today with points along the coast north and east of Portland seeing cooler air move in off the ocean this afternoon.

As far as precip goes, we’ll be watching some thunderstorms currently over Michigan try to move our way this evening. They should lose enough energy to no longer pose a severe weather threat or even much of a threat of thunder, but some rain is possible especially over NH around and after sunset.

The cold front itself will cross the region with a round (or two) of showers and thunderstorms tomorrow, some of which may pack severe weather.

-Jack