Hello everyone!

With the last of the pumpkin pie enjoyed for breakfast and Christmas music only now beginning to play, it is time for another rite of early winter: the first widespread accumulating snow. A rapidly developing storm in the Gulf of Maine will deliver the goods beginning in the next few hours over the mountains before cold air can make its way towards the coast this evening.

Look for patchy rain and snow this morning to become steadier this afternoon as the storm begins to intensify offshore. As the sun sets, winds shift around to the northwest, and precip gets heavier, rain will change to snow for all but the immediate shoreline. It will be tough to get much accumulation outside the higher terrain, but slushy coatings are likely west of I-95 and north of Route 1. A band of heavier snow is likely to develop just northwest of the storm’s center as it moves up Penobscot Bay, meaning that interior parts of Knox and Waldo counties may be able to pick up as much as 2-3″ overnight. Overall, this seems like a relatively low-impact storm but take it slow if you’re out and about today in the mountains where snow may be able to start accumulating on the roads beginning this afternoon.

High temps will be on the cooler side today, ranging from the low 30s up in the mountains to the mid 40s along the Midcoast peninsulas. Much colder air will arrive behind the storm tomorrow.

-Jack