Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME

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141 FXUS61 KCAR 132206 AFDCAR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Caribou ME 606 PM EDT Thu Jun 13 2024 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will build south of the region through tonight. A cold front will cross the area Friday followed by high pressure Saturday into Sunday. High pressure will shift south of the area on Monday. The area will remain under the influence of high pressure through later next week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH FRIDAY/...
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6:06 PM Update: A fairly pleasant evening across the FA with inland temperatures mostly in the mid 70s with 60s confined to the coast. Dew points are in the low to mid 50s for most areas, so not all that sticky, but with higher dew points along the immediate coast. Area radars including those in Canada show quite a bit of shower and thunderstorm activity in southern Quebec, but most of it well west of the area in southwest Quebec with weaker showers in eastern Quebec. There will be an increasing chance for a shower later this evening and overnight, mainly across the north. Fog may become an issue along and near the coast later tonight. Minor changes to account for the latest conditions and expected weather for tonight, but nothing all that significant. Previous discussion: A low pressure system across the north will approach the region tonight and move through on Friday. For tonight, clouds will gradually increase with the frontal approach. This with the southerly flow will keep temps in the 60s across the region, except for coastal Downeast where onshore flow will bring temps into the 50s. RH models indicate the marine layer moving into coastal Downeast, mainly Washington county with the onshore with the SW winds later in the night. By Friday, the prefrontal boundary will begin to move into the western border of the North Woods. These rain showers will quickly push from NW to SE through the morning. High-res models are in much better agreement with the timing of the front and the rain showers. By the afternoon, increased daytime heating with the movement of the frontal boundary will increase instability along the boundary. The 12Z NAM showed a drastic increase in CAPE from the previous forecast. The inconsistencies lie with the ensembles on the amount and location of the highest CAPE. In addition, the models show a thin ribbon of highest CAPE of +1000 J/kg stretching from Presque Isle to Greenville. Due to this, the dependency on stronger thunderstorms will be with the high wind shear and steep lapse rates along the boundary. Another concern will be later in the afternoon towards the evening when the front becomes slightly stationary over Downeast where localized heavy rain could become an urban and small stream flooding issue. The question will be how far north the marine layer will reach in the afternoon to help stabilize the area.
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&& .SHORT TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... The cold front will move very slowly southward on Friday night into Saturday morning as the upper trough amplifies and the RRQ of a powerful upper jet moves through the area. Deep moisture will advect northeastward from convective activity upstream. Elevated convective activity will likely persist through much of the night along the front. PWs will remain near 1.5 inches through the night near the coast with the boundary. The tropical disturbance moving up the eastern seaboard will be in the process of phasing with the northern stream upper trough, but is expected to develop far to the east of the forecast area. Nonetheless, southern portions of the forecast area remain in the WPC ERO through Saturday morning. Fog is also expected along the frontal boundary for Downeast on Friday night. The slow movement of the front out of the area has kept showers in the forecast for Downeast Saturday morning and clouds lingering in Washington County most of Saturday. Cold air advection will produce the coolest day for the foreseeable future with highs in the upper 60s to lower 70s. Dew points will plummet into the 30s to lower 40s by Saturday evening. This cool and dry air raises the specter of frost in the North Woods Saturday night under clear skies and light winds. Temperatures will recover into the low to mid 70s on Sunday with plentiful sunshine. North winds will prevent the sea breeze until later in the afternoon. && .LONG TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... Heat wave likely Tuesday into Thursday The entire period until perhaps Thursday afternoon will be dominated by an anomalously powerful dome of upper level high pressure. H5 heights may reach near 600dm by Wednesday. Temperatures warm steadily from Monday into Wednesday and Thursday. Inland areas may see over 90F Tuesday through Thursday, meeting the definition of a heat wave. Dew points will become uncomfortable by Tuesday...reaching the mid 60s to around 70F and remaining elevated into Thursday night. This means that heat indices will reach over 100F inland for Wednesday and Thursday. Heat advisories seem likely for Wednesday and Thursday. The coast will enjoy the coolest temps by far with a sea breeze, but temperatures will still be well into the 80s by Thursday as southwest winds offer less relief. The last heat wave of this magnitude was in June 2020 when the all-time record high temperature at Caribou was tied at 96F. If the forecast does not change, it will probably be one of the most notable heat waves so far this century. The current forecast does not feature record highs on any day for Bangor and Caribou, but the Thursday forecast high temp of 95F at Bangor would tie a record. Record high low temperatures may be a better bet Tuesday night through Thursday night. A weak northern stream front may trigger thunderstorms in the north by Thursday afternoon, but better odds for a cold front and cooler temps will not occur until Friday. && .AVIATION /22Z THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... NEAR TERM: VFR conditions for all terminals tonight. S winds 5-10 kts. LLWS after midnight until Friday morning for northern terminals. For Friday, Mainly VFR conditions expect for FVE/CAR/PQI in the morning due to low cigs, then VFR. Thunderstorms Friday afternoon for north terminals. SW winds 5-10 kts. SHORT TERM: Friday night...VFR except IFR tempo LIFR cigs/vis for BHB and coastal sites. Northwest winds 5 to 10 kt. Saturday...Becoming VFR on the coast in the morning. VFR elsewhere. Northwest winds 10 to 15 kt. Saturday night through Tuesday...VFR with light winds. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: A Small Craft Advisory for outer waters begins after midnight tonight and continues through Friday due to gutsy winds and seas around 5 ft. SHORT TERM: The Small Craft Advisory remains in place Friday evening, but skeptical of winds or seas meeting criteria. Confidence is higher in a lot of fog Friday night into early Saturday. Once the fog is swept out by the cold front, little significant weather is expected until fog returns by next Wednesday. Southwest winds on Friday night will shift to northerly for Saturday into early Sunday. Southwesterly winds are expected by Sunday night into Thursday. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 5 AM to 11 PM EDT Friday for ANZ050- 051. && $$ Near Term...CB/LaFlash Short Term...MCW Long Term...MCW Aviation...CB/LaFlash/MCW Marine...CB/LaFlash/MCW