Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, ME

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000 FXUS61 KGYX 171044 AFDGYX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 644 AM EDT FRI MAY 17 2013 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN FROM THE WEST TODAY AND TONIGHT. A DEVELOPING WARM FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE SOUTHWEST AS THE HIGH MOVES OFFSHORE THIS WEEKEND. UNSETTLED WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK AS A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
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UPDATED FCST TO ADD SLGT CHC -SHRA THIS MORNING TO NE MAINE ZONES PER LATEST RADAR. INCREASED WIND GUSTS A FEW MPH FOR TDA. ANY OTHER ADJUSTMENTS MAINLY MINOR TWEAKS BASED ON LATEST OBSERVATIONS. WEAK HIGH PRES BUILDS IN FROM THE W TDA CONTINUING THE NW FLOW OVER THE REGION. WINDS WILL BECOME SOMEWHAT GUSTY TDA...BUT NOT NEARLY AS STRONG AS THEY WERE ON THURSDAY. THE DOWNSLOPE NW FLOW SHOULD PROVIDE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES OVER SRN AND INTO CENTRAL AREAS WHILE THE N/MT ZONES SEE QUITE A BIT OF CLOUDINESS AND PERHAPS AN ISOLD -SHRA TDA DUE TO UPSLOPE FLOW. TEMPS WON`T BE NEARLY AS WRM AS THURSDAY AS A COOLER AIR MASS IS MOVING IN BEHIND A DEPARTING CD FNT. H8 TEMPS WERE PLUS 10 C OR HIGHER ON THURSDAY BUT WILL BE LESS THAN PLUS 5 C TDA. THIS SHOULD GIVE US MORE SEASONABLE TEMPS WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S N AND MID 60S TO AROUND 70 S. THE GUSTY NW WINDS TDA SHOULD KEEP THE SEA BREEZE FROM DEVELOPING ALONG THE COAST...THOUGH IT MAY TRY TO SET UP NEAR THE END OF THE DAY AS THE GRADIENT NW WIND BEGINS TO LET UP. THIS SHOULD HAVE NO IMPACT ON HIGH TEMPS TDA. GENERALLY USED A BLEND OF GFS/NAM AND MET/MAV GUIDANCE FOR THE NEAR TERM FCST.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/... DESPITE THE HIGH SETTLING IN TNGT THERE WILL BE SOME CLOUDINESS AROUND AS MODELS SHOW MOISTURE DEVELOPING AND SLIDING IN ON NW FLOW ALOFT. STILL SHOULD SEE LGT WINDS AND TEMPS COOLING OFF INTO THE 30S FOR MANY AREAS...WITH LOWER 40S MORE COMMON NEAR THE COAST. FROST WILL BE PSBL TNGT...MORE SO OVER N/MT ZONES. ON SATURDAY THE MODELS DROP A WEAK UPR LVL SHORT WAVE/JET SEGMENT SE IN THE NW FLOW ALOFT ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. THIS FEATURE IS BETWEEN THE UPR LVL RIDGE TO THE W AND THE UPR LVL CUTOFF LOW OVER THE MARITIMES. IT ALSO WILL HELP DEVELOP A WRM FNT TO OUR W AS A WARMER AIR MASS BEGINS TO PUSH NE TOWARD THE NE U.S. THE UPR LVL FEATURE AND APPROACHING/DEVELOPING WRM FNT WILL BRING SOME CLOUDINESS TO THE FCST AREA ON SATURDAY AS INDICATED BY INCREASING RH IN THE MODELS. THERE IS EVEN THE SLGT CHC OF A LGT SHOWER OR TWO WITH THIS FEATURE...WITH PERHAPS A HIGHER CHC ACROSS THE N/MT ZONES. GENERALLY USED A BLEND OF GFS/NAM AND MET/MAV GUIDANCE ALONG WITH RFC QPF /WHICH HAS VERY LGT AMOUNTS/ FOR THE SHORT TERM FCST. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... THE NUMERICALS ARE IN BASIC AGREEMENT ON LONGWAVE PATTERN WELL INTO NEXT WEEK. INITIALLY THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS THROUGH THE MIDWEST AND GREAT LAKES WHICH LEAVES THE FORECAST AREA IN WEST- NORTHWEST FLOW THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. THEREAFTER...FALLING HEIGHTS AS THE RIDGE WEAKENS AND SOME DEGREE OF EASTERN TROUGH EMERGES. WITH MEAN JET AXIS OVERHEAD OR NEARBY...THE AREA FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD WILL BE UNSETTLED AS A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES TRAVEL EASTWARD ALONG A BOUNDARY SEPARATING SUMMER-LIKE WARMTH FROM EARLY SPRING CHILL. IN THE DAILIES...HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETREAT FURTHER OFFSHORE ON SUNDAY. UNSETTLED WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED NEXT WEEK AS A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. && .AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/...MAINLY VFR THOUGH MVFR PSBL ON SATURDAY ACROSS N/MT AREAS WHICH WOULD IMPACT HIE. THERE IS A SLGT CHC OF A -SHRA OR TWO ON SATURDAY...THOUGH THEY MAY BE LIMITED TO N/MT ZONES. GUSTY NW WINDS TDA...BUT NOT NEARLY AS STRONG AS THEY WERE ON THURSDAY. THE NW WINDS SHOULD KEEP THE SEA BREEZE FROM FORMING TDA. LONG TERM... MON - TUE...AREAS OF MVFR POSSIBLE IN SHOWERS. && .MARINE...
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SHORT TERM /TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...UPDATED TO INPUT LATEST OBSERVED DATA WHICH RESULTED IN NO MORE THAN A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PREVIOUS FCST. WILL CONT THE SCA FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS THRU 8 AM THIS MORNING FOR OUR COASTAL WATERS /EXCEPT THE BAYS/ PER LATEST BUOY REPORTS SHOWING 5 TO 6 FT SEAS OVER THE OPEN WATERS. TREND WILL BE FOR SEAS TO SUBSIDE AND THEY SHOULD DROP BELOW 5 FT DURING THE COURSE OF THE MORNING HOURS. OTRW HIGH PRES BUILDING IN FROM THE W TDA WILL CREATE SOME GUSTY NW WINDS...BUT THEY SHOULD BE BELOW SCA LEVELS. AS THE HIGH CRESTS OVER THE REGION TNGT WINDS AND SEAS SHOULD BE WELL BELOW SCA LEVELS. WINDS BEGIN TO TURN ONSHORE SATURDAY AS THE HIGH SLIDES OFFSHORE BUT SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SCA LEVELS AS SHOULD SEAS. LONG TERM... SUN NIGHT - MON...SMALL CRAFT WINDS AND SEAS ARE POSSIBLE.
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&& .FIRE WEATHER... GUSTY NW WINDS UP TO 20 OR 25 MPH ALONG WITH MIN RH VALUES OF 20 TO 30 PCT ACROSS SRN AND PERHAPS CENTRAL AREAS WILL INCREASE THE FIRE DANGER FOR THE LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS TDA. HOWEVER, AS GREEN UP CONTINUES CONDITIONS WILL NOT WARRANT ANY RED FLAG HEADLINES. IN THE N RH VALUES WON`T BE AS LOW AND THERE WILL BE LESS SUNSHINE THERE TDA AS WELL. FAIRLY LGT WINDS SATURDAY AND RH VALUES ABOUT 10 PCT HIGHER SHOULD KEEP THE FIRE DANGER FAIRLY LOW. && .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. NH...NONE. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR HAZARDOUS SEAS UNTIL 8 AM EDT THIS MORNING FOR ANZ150-152-154. && $$

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