The most significant storm since the Late October Gale is on tap to impact Maine. The storm is forming off the Bahamas, will rapidly intensify on its way to the northeast Wednesday night into Thursday morning. The storm is predicted to have the central pressure of a high end Category 2 / low Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall in southern Nova Scotia Thursday evening.

Timeline

Courtesy weathermodels.com

Southern areas will witness effects of the storm in the predawn hours of Thursday and completely overspread the state by midday. Wind will increase and whiteout to blizzard conditions are likely to be felt through the afternoon and into the evening.

Courtesy weathermodels.com

Southern areas see the steady snow end in the wee hours of Friday morning. Eastern areas will begin to see the snow taper down by around sunrise.

Courtesy weathermodels.com

By around midday Friday, the rooftop of the state sees the heavier snow taper to snow showers. As the arctic front approaches the region on the backside of the storm, snow showers will persist statewide until Friday night.

Coastal concerns

Courtesy weathermodels.com

Given the intensity of the storm in conjunction with the frigid temperatures icing up harbors around the state, a wide range of problems are expected for the shorelines. Seas are expected to range 15 to 20 feet in unprotected shoreline areas. With astronomical high tides ranging 2 to 4 feet above normal, the shorelines are likely to have a rough time with this storm.

Wind may bring power outages

Courtesy weathermodels.com

Without any real temperature rise since the pre-Christmas ice storm, the projected wind gusts may cause power outages over interior Maine. Gusts in the 30-40 mph range or higher are very likely Thursday afternoon and evening. The strong wind will cause whiteout to blizzard conditions, with the strongest gusts from the northeast along the shorelines.

As the storm advances into the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, gusty northwesterly winds will come in its wake for Friday. The wind is on track to slowly diminish into Saturday.

Snowfall totals

This is a storm that will be difficult to measure due to the strong gusty winds that will blow it all around. It will be easier to measure in snow drifts, which could be substantial in areas. Eastern areas are on track to receive the most snow. Shoreline areas of Washington County may see a brief period of sleet Thursday afternoon which may cut totals down there a little. This storm will likely be remembered for the blowing and drifting due to the high winds.

As I have mentioned on my home website PineTreeWeather.com it would be very wise to stay in touch with the National Weather Service for the latest bulletins in regards to this storm.

-Mike Haggett

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Forecast information supplied by WeatherModels.com, WeatherTAP.com, the National Weather Service, WeatherBELL Analytics and AccuWeather Professional.

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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