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.

Heat Begins Returning This Weekend

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

Cooler and a bit Unsettled Today

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

Another Pretty Nice Day Today

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

Nice Weather Returns Today

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

A Bit Cooler but Still Unsettled Today

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

showers and Storms May Pack a Punch Inland Today

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

Clouds Increase Today ahead of Our Next Cold Front

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

Pretty Darn Nice Today

Hello everyone!

Today will feature widespread sunshine, dew points near 40, and high temps in the high 60s north to mid 70s in the foothills. In other words, 10/10 weather for this time of year. You may notice some NW breezes this morning but those should taper off this afternoon while winds switch around to the south/southeast along the coast. Get outside and enjoy it!

-Jack

Brighter and a Little Milder Today

Hello everyone!

Yesterday’s cold front is now offshore which means brighter skies and, for most, milder temperatures today. Yes the airmass moving into the region is cooler through most of the atmosphere, but the sunshine and northwesterly downsloping breezes will allow temps where we are at the surface to get warmer than they were on the “warm side” of the storm yesterday, except for the mountains.

That cool air aloft and warmer air near the ground means we’ll have to consider the introduction of some atmospheric instability this afternoon. Look for clouds to bubble up in the next couple hours especially up in the north where some clouds will grow tall enough to produce some brief showers. Where clouds and showers are most widespread north of route 2, high temps will be limited to the low 60s while the rest of the area enjoys temps in the low to mid 70s this afternoon.

-Jack

Cool and Unsettled Again Today

Hello everyone!

Today’s weather looks a lot like yesterday’s as low pressure slides up the Saint Lawrence Valley. A warm front extending southeast of that low will bisect the region today leaving much of coastal Maine, especially east of Portland, with cool onshore flow while warmer air is allowed into New Hampshire and the Maine mountains. That warm air along with some modestly increased humidity will support some showers and thunderstorms as a cold front approaches this afternoon. With modest instability (thunderstorm fuel), I’m not expecting anything special from these storms but a few folks will enjoy downpours and thunder this afternoon. The best shot at some storms will be up in the mountains and in the foothills.

Thick clouds especially in Maine will keep temps down today with highs ranging from the mid 60s along the Midcoast to the low 70s in the foothills. Some spots in central/southern NH will warm into the mid 70s.

-Jack