Spot showers and storms through late week; weekend outlook

For the remainder of the work week, the state appears to deal with showers and thunderstorms associated with a weak cold front situated just west of the St. Lawrence River. Low pressure over the Northern Plains moves eastward to impact Saturday into Sunday. A tropical wave near the Lesser Antilles is being monitored for possible development over the weekend.

Thursday / Friday

The cold front is just far enough west to keep popcorn clouds over the mountains and the Crown of Maine, and keeps southern and eastern areas relatively clear. Morning fog along the coast, the lakes and water tributaries may be locally dense, but after that burns off, the sky becomes clear.

As the front lightly jogs to the southwest, clouds may form closer to the coastal area. Showers and storms appear scattered, and confined mainly to the high peaks of western areas and the north. However, a stray shower or storm making the ocean shoreline cannot be completely ruled out.

While the chance is low, some strong to borderline severe storms may form.

High temperatures range in the 70s to low 80s, with a southwest breeze keeping the MidCoast and DownEast shorelines cooler.

Thursday night, showers end early, and localized areas of dense fog are likely to form again. Low temperatures range mainly in the 50s to around 60°.

Looking into Friday, high pressure near Bermuda will set up a southwest flow over the region and humidity will be on the rise. By mid-afternoon, the humidity is likely to be noticeable statewide.

With the increase in humidity, the chances for showers and thunderstorms increase along with it. As with Thursday, most of these storms remained confined over the interior, and could be strong to severe. Highs for the day tick upward a bit, with many southern and eastern areas topping out in the 80s.

Weekend outlook

The weekend won’t be a washout, but it does not appear completely dry either. Low pressure arrives Friday night into Saturday, with all areas seeing increased chances for rainfall from showers and thunderstorms.

The accumulated rain forecast through Monday morning shows most of the rainfall in the mountains and Crown of the state, but areas of thunderstorms and downpours are more than likely to yield higher amounts.

Of the two days, Sunday appears to be the pick of the weekend for coastal areas, with showers and storms possible for the mountains and north. Highs for Saturday range generally in the 70s state wide. Sunday sees similar readings but with low 80s possible for southwestern Maine.

Tropics to be watched

I’m tracking possible tropical development around the Bahamas this weekend. At this point, it does not appear that Maine would see any direct impacts, but it is too early to tell. Models have shown all kinds of science fiction ideas, but substance is lacking.

NOAA has come out with its latest hurricane forecast for the remainder of the summer, and they indicate that it could become very active. It has been twelve years since a major hurricane made landfall in the United States. It is the season.

-Mike Haggett

For official forecast information: please check in with National Weather Service Gray for Western & Southern Maine and National Weather Service Caribou for Eastern & Northern Maine.

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Special thanks to Tropical Tidbits and Pivotal Weather for their written permission to use their graphics in this post. Use of WeatherTAP images used within their written permitted terms of media use policy. Additional forecast information supplied by the National Weather Service, WeatherBELL Analytics and AccuWeather Professional.

Always Stay Weather Aware!

Mike Haggett

About Mike Haggett

As a Mainer for nearly five decades, Mike understands all too well the ever changing weather forecasts and surprises given the location and geography of the state. Spending much of his time as child outdoors fishing in all four seasons, keeping track of the weather was a must for personal safety. Living firsthand through the impacts of weather through many types of storms and phenomena, the idea came to mind for him to analyze it closer in 2011.