Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Caribou, ME

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512 FXUS61 KCAR 230141 AFDCAR Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Caribou ME 941 PM EDT Sun Sep 22 2024 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure will build from eastern Canada through tonight 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. Later in the week, a low pressure complex tracks through the area. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH MONDAY/...
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935 pm update...Stratocu is proving to be more persistent tonight under a strengthening subsidence inversion and moist easterly flow. METSAT imagery indicates a large complex of stratocu drifting slowly across the forecast area. Have increased clouds for tonight into Monday morning. Confidence in any patchy river valley fog has decreased enough for removal from the forecast. Previous discussion... An upper level ridge will move east with the surface ridge squeezed between two low pressure systems. The ridge will continue influence the region tonight. For tonight, some very weak instability will help produce more cumulus across the area. Some high-res QPF models show a few isolated showers in the Central Highlands, but confidence is low due to the lower surface dewpoints. After midnight, showers chances decrease. SREF models indicate patchy fog for the north tonight, however, if the clouds stick around, then the chances will decrease. Decided to include river valley fog after midnight with the decreasing temps and light winds. By Monday, clouds will increase throughout the day with the approaching frontal boundary to the west. Continuous NE flow will keep temps in the mid 60s for the day.
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&& .SHORT TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Ridge axis from the Maritimes will continue to bring cool air into the CWA thru the middle part of the week. High temps in the 60s on Monday and Tuesday with lows in the 40s each morning. Have little reason to go against persistence with moisture getting trapped under subsidence inversion each night leading to mocldy skies and patchy fog. Showers by the end of the day Wednesday will be a battle between ridge axis and upr lvl trof moving in fm Canada. Have gone with chc showers for now acrs the north and west, slowly moving east Wednesday evening. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... Pops increase Wednesday night into Thursday and ultimately depends on the low track. Movement of sfc low will likely depend on strength of ridge axis extending over the area from the Maritimes on Thursday. Have kept likely pops for the area for a good part of the day as sfc low and upr low moves thru the CWA. Deterministic and ensemble guidance differ on solutions by 00z Friday with too much uncertainty to go any higher than likely pops through the end of the weekend. Thursday looks to be the coolest day of the next 7 days under rainy conditions with highs around 60 and possibly not getting out of the 50s in some locations. Any showers that remain will wind down on Friday with upr ridge beginning to build in from the Great Lakes. Interesting to note that whatever system coming in from the Gulf may get caught up in the upr low over the southern Plains over the weekend. Across our area temps will remain near normal with high pressure over the northeast into the weekend. && .AVIATION /02Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... 625 pm update...The challenge in the 00Z TAFs is whether any IFR conditions develop in the hours leading up to sunrise Monday morning for sites north of GNR and HUL. For now, will use TEMPOs to indicate the potential, but confidence is not high enough for prevailing FM groups. Some MVFR cigs may follow Monday morning for these same sites. Otherwise, VFR is forecast. NEAR TERM: VFR conditions for all terminals tonight. Light ENE winds. For Monday, north terminals will be in VFR/MVFR conditions in low cigs with increasing clouds. South terminals will be in VFR. Light E winds. SHORT TERM: Monday night-Wednesday...MVFR with possible MVFR/IFR in patchy fog each morning. E around 5kts becoming SE Wednesday. Wednesday night-Thursday...Lowering to MVFR and eventually IFR Thursday morning in showers and fog. SE 5-10kts. Thursday night...Improving to MVFR in showers. ENE 5kts. Friday...Improving to VFR. NE 5-10kts. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: Winds and seas should remain below SCA conditions tonight and Monday. Seas briefly reaching 3-5 ft in the outer waters this evening and early tonight, then decrease. SHORT TERM: Winds and seas remain below small craft levels through Thursday. Seas begin to increase late Thursday night in southeasterly swell ahead of next surface low. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. MARINE...None. && $$ Near Term...LaFlash Short Term...Buster Long Term...Buster Aviation...LaFlash/Buster Marine...LaFlash/Buster