All posts by Jack Sillin

I’m a third-year atmospheric science student at Cornell University who has been blogging about the weather since 2011. While I’m not officially a meteorologist, I have accumulated a bit of experience forecasting both local weather (in western Maine and New Hampshire) as well as national/international weather during my time writing for weather.us and weathermodels.com. I also have experience programming in Python, teaching concepts in weather forecasting, and communicating forecast information to general audiences.

Increasing Clouds Today

Hello everyone!

Today will feature increasing clouds and seasonable temps as an area of low pressure rapidly moves up the East Coast. Look for highs ranging from the mid 50’s in the west, where the fewest breaks of sun will be located this morning, and the mid 60’s farther east, where some sunshine this morning will warm things up a little more. Clouds will overspread the area from the west over the next few hours, with rain following this evening.

-Jack

Rain This Morning, Sunshine This Afternoon

Hello everyone!

Today will feature a day split between dreary conditions, and much nicer Spring weather. This morning, radar imagery shows a round of steady rain moving our way from the south, and this will cross areas mostly east of the NH border this morning. By midday, rain will taper off and we’ll transition to sunnier weather downslope of the mountains. As the sun comes out, temps near the ground will spike into the low 60’s, while temps aloft fall. This contrast will set up instability that will fuel some pop up showers this afternoon.

-Jack

Cooler With Showers Today

Hello everyone!

Today will feature cooler temps and increased chances for rain as a weak storm system drifts nearby. Highs will range from 50 in the mountains to a little below 60 near Augusta, where a few breaks of sun are possible this morning before overcast takes over. Rain will arrive in the area from SW to NE this morning, and radar imagery shows some drops already falling over parts of NH. While much of the day will be wet, this won’t be a soaker of a storm, and there are likely to be some dry hours here and there as forcing from this system remains weak and disorganized.

Rain will move out tomorrow morning.

-Jack

A Spring Stunner Today

Hello everyone!

High pressure has slid off to our east this morning, which will set up some warm SSW winds for today. This will be the culminating day of our stretch of beautiful spring weather before rain arrives tomorrow. Skies today will be mostly sunny, with the exception of some high clouds filtering in ahead of the aforementioned storm system. Highs will range from the mid 60’s north to the low 70’s south, with the coolest temps, in the 50’s, confined to the peninsulas of the midcoast where winds will have more of an onshore component. No precip is expected until tomorrow when rain will arrive from SW-NE.

-Jack

Another Beautiful Spring Day Today

Hello everyone!

Today will feature the third in our stretch of four beautiful spring days as high pressure continues to be the dominant force acting on our weather. Look for skies to remain sunny today as highs rise up into the low 50’s north and low 60’s south. Cooler temps will be found along the immediate coastline, where a sea breeze circulation will develop this afternoon. Tis the season!

-Jack

A Beautiful Spring Day Today

Hello everyone!

Today will feature a beautiful Spring day across all parts of Western Maine and New Hampshire. Temps will climb into the 50’s region wide, with the exception of only the far northern mountains. Some places in Southern NH and SW ME could touch 60! Skies will remain sunny across the area as a powerful high pressure system moves overhead. NW breezes will gradually taper off as that high moves in.

-Jack

Quiet Weather Today With Continued Cool Temps

Hello everyone!

Today will feature sunny skies across most of the area outside the mountains, along with continued cooler than normal temperatures for this time of year. Highs will rise into the upper 30’s north and low 50’s south, with northwesterly breezes keeping any marine circulations at bay. No precipitation is expected. Enjoy the beautiful day!

-Jack

Familiar Upslope/Downslope Pattern Emerges Today

Hello everyone!

Today will feature a pattern familiar to anyone who’s followed along with my forecasts for a while. Northwest winds will drive an upslope/downslope precipitation and sky cover configuration today, with mostly cloudy skies and upslope snow showers in the mountains and clearer skies in the south. High temps will also feel the influence of this pattern, with mid 30’s expected in the mountains and low 50’s along the coast. While the coast will remain mostly dry, some of the mountain showers may drift southeastward and bring briefly wet conditions later this afternoon into the early part of the evening.

-Jack

Seasonable With Clouds And The Chance Of Rain Today

Hello everyone!

Today will feature seasonable temps, overcast skies, and the chance for rain showers this afternoon. A coastal low is trying to get its act together off the Mid Atlantic coast, and while the upper level pattern is unfavorable for any significant development of this system, it will pass close enough to our region to bring everyone an overcast day, and areas in Southern NH and along the coast some rain showers this afternoon/evening. Look for highs in the upper 30’s in the mountains, where the airmass will be cooler, as well as in Southern NH where the steadiest precipitation will occur. Farther north and east, highs will reach the mid 40’s in places like Rockland and Augusta as a few breaks of sunshine this morning will help heat things up.

-Jack

Developing Rain Today

Hello everyone!

While most of the area is currently seeing either light precipitation or dry conditions, that will be changing as we move through the day today. A front will be approaching from the southwest, and tropical moisture will be flowing northward ahead of the front. This combination will result in bands of moderate to heavy rain this afternoon and evening.

This steadier/heavier rain will arrive in NH just after noon before moving into Maine during the early afternoon hours. Before then, light precipitation will continue to pose a mixed precipitation/ice threat away from the coast.

As we move towards the evening, any remaining near-surface cold air will retreat farther towards the mountains, and bands of moderate-heavy rain will be rotating through from SW to NE. The rain won’t be intense enough to cause any major flooding issues, but low-lying areas typically vulnerable to urban/small stream flooding may see water for a brief time this evening. There may be some thunderstorms embedded within the final round of heavy rain right along the front itself. This line should move through NH around 8, arriving in Portland around 10.

Temps today will be unpleasantly chilly as low-level cold struggles to depart. Look for highs ranging from the low 30’s in the mountains to the mid 50’s in Southern NH. There will be a benefit to this cold air though, which is that it will mitigate the threat posed by strong winds as a low level jet moves overhead this evening. When temps warm with height (as is forecast tonight due to low level cold below 3,000 feet becoming trapped by mountains, which don’t extend with much regularity above 3,000 feet), the atmosphere is vertically stable, and air doesn’t move very far up or down. You need downward “momentum transport” from the jet layer at 5-7,000 feet to the surface to get strong winds in a setup like this, and with the exception of the immediate coastline east of Route 1 (where warmer surface temps will dampen the rate of warming with height), we’re not going to get much if any of that momentum transport tonight. This means that while winds will be breezy, I don’t expect any major power outage issues west of Route 1.

Rain will move northeast of the area around midnight with drying conditions expected behind the front.

-Jack