Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, ME

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856 FXUS61 KGYX 231414 AFDGYX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gray ME 1014 AM EDT Sun Jun 23 2024 .SYNOPSIS... A stationary front lifts northward into New Hampshire today as a warm front. There is a slight to enhanced risk of severe thunderstorms across the area today, especially in New Hampshire, with the risk of a few tornadoes and damaging winds being the primary concerns. A cold front will then cross Sunday night and Monday with additional unsettled weather before high pressure builds in by Tuesday, bringing drier conditions. Temperatures moderate through the middle of the week, with another cold front bringing showers and storms late Wednesday. High pressure then builds in late in the week, bringing drier and cooler conditions. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
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1010 AM...Overall thinking for severe this afternoon has not really changed, but did make some adjustments to grids through midday, to scale back the fog in some in inland areas this morning into early afternoon, where things should start to show some signs of clearing in the next few hours. Also fine tuned the precip timing, and the timing of wind shift and increase in speed. 620 AM Update...WAA continues across the region this morning with elevated convection in the form of scattered heavy showers with embedded thunder moving northeastward through southeastern NH as of this writing. Other activity will shortly move into western NH and likely move across the state into ME over the next few hours. Heavy downpours will be the main threat. No changes to the forecast for this afternoon and evening`s probable severe weather event. Previously... Slight risk for severe weather remains in effect for the forecast area, with an enhanced risk remaining in effect for most of New Hampshire. SFC warm front remain well to the south and west of the forecast area as of 07z early this morning, snaking its way from just south of Lake Ontario southeastward to Long Island NY and Southern CT. This front will be a key player in our convective storms outcome this afternoon. A southwesterly LLJ continues to increase above the SFC this morning, and the forcing for ascent aided by upglide up the elevated frontal surface continues to produce areas of showers with embedded thunderstorms across the forecast area all the way west to eastern Lake Ontario. This forcing should continue into much of the morning meaning occasional batches of showers with embedded thunder moving eastward across the forecast area from time to time with locally heavy downpours. This activity will probably hinder the northward progress of the SFC warm front some, and probably delay its arrival into our CWA until late morning or even midday across southernmost NH. The movement of the warm front will aid in determining how widespread severe storms will be in our forecast area this afternoon, as SFC temps will only be in the 60s north of the frontal boundary and therefore a bit too stable for widespread severe. CAM consensus is that the front will make to at least a KLEB-KDAW line by 19z or 20z this afternoon setting the stage for a fairly impressive severe weather environment near and south of the front. Across northern NH, the chances for severe increase as well, but will have to watch how long the stabilizing effect of showers lasts. As far as timing of the main activity goes, we thinking we`ll see storms knocking on the CT River door between 18z and 20z, continuing to move rapidly eastward thereafter. Linear forcing will make the potential for widespread wind damage the main threat with these storms, especially in the ENH risk area. However, forecast hodographs near and south of the warm front support a few tornadoes, supercellular or the QLCS variety, with 0-1 KM SRH values in excess of 200 M^2/S^2 in the midst of SFC based CAPE possibly approaching or exceeding 2000 J/KG. The threat for severe weather will diminish with eastward and northern extent as they depart NH. However, with a strong southwesterly LLJ in place, a favorable air mass for severe could be transported to the southern ME coast ahead of the storms between 22z-00z, allowing for a threat for wind damage even there. In conclusion, a fairly robust severe weather day is supported by the latest guidance. However, for some of the CWA this will be conditional on sufficient heating to build CAPE, and this could be hindered by lagging pre-event showers and thunderstorms and/or slower northward warm frontal progress. Mesoscale analysis will be key today. Localized flash flooding will be a possibility with training storms today. Storms sweep offshore this evening yielding a pretty mild night with lows in the 60s. Areas of fog, locally dense will be possible.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM MONDAY/... Upper level low pressure moves overhead on Monday along with an attendant SFC low. Cold temperatures aloft working in tandem with dewpoints in the 60s should support an environment for late morning and afternoon showers and thunderstorms, some with gusty winds and hail. The main threat would be from the Midcoast of ME northward and northwestward to the foothills and mountains. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... Overview... Tuesday looks mostly dry with dew points still mainly in the 50s, but temperatures rebound into the 80s in most spots, to near 90 across southern areas. Wednesday turns more humid with southwesterly flow, and temps warming into the mid 80s to low 90s in most spots. A cold front approaches during the day on Wednesday, with scattered showers and storms likely late in the day and into Wednesday night. The front may take into Thursday morning to fully clear the area, with high pressure building in by late in the day Thursday. This area of high pressure builds in from Canada, bringing much drier and sunnier conditions to the area. Temperatures also look quite seasonable with the high, with daytime highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s Thursday and Friday, and lows mainly in the 50s at night. Temperatures and humidity likely begin to increase again by next weekend and the high moves offshore and brings a return to the southwesterly flow. && .AVIATION /14Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Short Term...Low cigs, SHRA and fog will likely bring widespread IFR/LIFR through this morning. Low cigs and reduced vsby will likely impact KAUG, KRKD for much of the day today with PWM improving this afternoon. Elsewhere, cigs should lift through the morning before a cold front brings multiple rounds of TSRA this afternoon and evening. These storms will bring the threat of severe weather and flight restrictions are likely at times. IFR to LIFR is likely tonight in lowering cigs and fog as drier air does not arrive until Monday. Scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms are expected Monday. Long Term...VFR conditions prevail from Monday night into Wednesday. Nighttime valley fog will be possible, especially at LEB and HIE. Showers and storms are then likely late Wednesday and Wednesday night, with brief restrictions at times. VFR returns on Thursday and prevails into the weekend. && .MARINE... Short Term...Southerly flow increases today with winds and seas bringing SCA conditions by this afternoon. A cold front crosses tonight with strong thunderstorms possible this evening. Thunderstorms diminish as the evening progresses while elevated seas maintain SCA conditions into Monday morning. Long Term...Lingering seas greater then 5ft are possible into Monday as a cold front clears the waters, with high pressure building in for Tuesday. The high shifts east by Wednesday, with SCA conditions possible in increasing southwesterly flow ahead of an approaching cold front. The front crosses the waters Wednesday and into Thursday, high pressure building in behind the front for late in the week. && .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. NH...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 8 PM EDT Monday for ANZ150>152-154. && $$ SYNOPSIS... NEAR TERM...Cempa/Ekster SHORT TERM...Ekster LONG TERM...Clair/Cornwell/Ekster AVIATION... MARINE...