Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME

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512 FXUS61 KCAR 220808 AFDCAR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Caribou ME 408 AM EDT Sun Sep 22 2024 .SYNOPSIS...
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High pressure will build from Eastern Canada through Sunday night while low pressure in the open Atlantic drifts further out to sea. High pressure will crest over the area Monday then retreat into the Maritimes Tuesday and Wednesday. Late week a low pressure complex tracks through the area.
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&& .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/...
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Latest Sat imagery shows tendrils of SC cldnss advcg wwrd from the Gulf of St Lawrence consolidating ovr the Wrn NB highlands just E of the ME/NB border. Meso model guidance brings some of this cldnss into msly Nrn ptns of the FA this morn. Prior to this cld cvr, a few Nrn vly lctns will cont to experience patchy fog, which should end by mid morn. Otherwise, skies will remain ptly to msly cldy tdy, with meso- models indicating a weak llvl vort max advcg from the Gulf of St Lawrence via across the Nrn NB highlands erly to mid Aftn, possibly bringing lgt isold shwrs to far NE ptns of the FA at this tm. Due to greater cld cvr, high temps this Aftn will be several deg F cooler than ystdy aftn. Skies look to partially clr ovr the FA this Eve, but how long they remain msly clr into the Ovrngt remains uncertain, with some meso-models indicating additional SC cld banding advcg wwrd from NB late tngt into Mon Morn. For that reason and the lack of low dwpts, that despite lgt and vrbl winds, radiational cooling will likely not be great enough for temps to drop low enough for late night frost across Nrn vlys.
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&& .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT/...
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High pressure continues to be the dominating feature for the short term, with temperatures around seasonable normals. Monday will feature a Maritime surface high pressure in control with light easterly winds and a lot of clouds. Temperatures will top out in the low to mid 60s for the northern 1/2 of the CWA with mid to upper 60s around Bangor Region and then low to mid 60s Downeast. Interesting trend for Monday night into Tuesday is modeled 850-250mb RHs have dropped to 30-40% range suggesting less cloud cover. Opted to go with the NBM which turns skies mostly clear Mon night. Expecting low to mid 40s across the area as winds go calm. The 500mb ridge axis shifts basically overhead and slightly east with light easterly winds continuing. Once again expecting a lot more sun than previously expected with drier air in the modeled soundings. Temperatures top out in the mid to upper 60s with the warmest spots near Bangor.
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&& .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/...
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Wednesday the pattern will begin to shift as the upper level ridge moves eastward, allowing a trough to move in, bringing precipitation across the area. Confidence is stronger that the pattern will shift, however what will happen with the low/trough that moves in is less certain. Model ensembles have a number of different solutions, muddying the forecast for the end of the week. This partially depends on how deep the upper level trough becomes and whether it becomes negatively tilted, with a closed upper level low forming somewhere over southern Canada or the Midwest. There is potential for a surface low to develop over the mid-Atlantic, moving northward and enhancing any precip that falls Thursday and Friday. Deterministic runs of EC and Canadian also show differences in whether the surface low develops close to the coast and brings heavier bands of precip onshore, or moves offshore more quickly. Given these differences in the model runs, decided to keep pretty close to the previous forecast for the Thursday through Saturday time period, keeping precip over Maine. Temperatures will remain seasonable through the period.
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&& .AVIATION /07Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/...
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NEAR TERM: Tdy - Tngt...all TAF sites msly VFR with ocnl MVFR - low VFR clgs. Patchy IFR/LIFR valley fog til 12z this Morn at KPQI and KHUL. Lgt ENE to NE winds becmg lgt and vrbl by late Tngt. SHORT TERM: Monday...VFR/MVFR. E winds 5-10kt. Tuesday...VFR. E winds 5-10kt. Wednesday...VFR/MVFR. SE winds 5-10kt. Thursday...MVFR/IFR. -SHRA. S winds 5-15kt.
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&& .MARINE...
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NEAR TERM: Only remaining SCA tdy conditions are ovr outer MZ051 where we xtnded the SCA there til 20z. Winds will actually increase ovr the outer MZs this Morn before dmnshg again this aftn, but with wvs currently only arnd 3ft ovr outer MZ050 compared t0 4-5ft ovr MZ051, we felt that there was a better chc of more sustained SCA conditions ovr MZ051. From late Aftn onward, winds and seas will subside across all of the waters allowing us to drop the remaining SCA ovr MZ051. Kept close to blended wv model guidance for fcst wv hts with wvs having two components; a short fetch pd of 3 - 5 sec and an open swell pd of 10 - 12 sec. SHORT TERM: Winds remaining below 25kts for the duration. Seas will be 2 to 4 feet through Thursday evening. The next possibility for higher seas developing will be late Thursday night with the movement of the surface low.
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&& .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
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ME...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 4 PM EDT this afternoon for ANZ051.
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&& $$ Near Term...VJN Short Term...Sinko Long Term...Sinko Aviation...VJN/Sinko Marine...VJN/Sinko