Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, ME

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801 FXUS61 KGYX 301225 AFDGYX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gray ME 825 AM EDT Tue Apr 30 2024 .SYNOPSIS... Cool winds off the Atlantic will develop for today and Wednesday with a few showers and temperatures below normal. Shower chances continue for later this week with temperatures slowly climbing. An early look at the coming weekend shows a cool start before another warm up into early next week. A shower or two is also possible. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/...
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825 AM Update...Latest radar and lightning data shows that some brief showers that formed over SW NH produced some lightning with an area of convection holding together as it is now crossing into the lower CT Valley. Main change was to introduce isolated thunder to account for these trends and massage PoPs based on latest Hi Res guidance. 715 AM...Decent WAA aloft, along with some elevated instability is working to produce some showers across the N and E zones. This should diminish over the next few hours. Meanwhile another cluster of convection has developed over NY, and is riding the ridge into N New England. I expect this system to be similar to the one that went through overnight, and should weaken as it rounds the top of the ridge and head into W NH later this morning. Previously...Warmer, more humid air to our W, continues to attempt to make its way into N New England today, but will lose this battle during several attempts, the first which goes on through the early morning, as some convection that formed over NY and QC ride over the top of the 500 MB ridge, but start to fall apart as they cross into NH on the downstream side of the ridge. A few light showers may make it through between now and mid morning in NH. The NE sfc flow will continue to be supported by the 500 MB into this morning, but eventually the ridging weakens and shifts far enough E, that flow will turn more E-SE at the surface and onshore and this along with the clouds will temps much closer to the Gulf of ME water temps, which are in the mid to upper 40, so highs today look to be in the 50-55 range. I think even NH gets a break from showers this afternoon before they return late in the day.
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&& .SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM WEDNESDAY/... That 500 MB will have enough waves move into by this evening that it will flatten toward more zonal flow by tonight. This still doesnt offer great dynamic forcing, but it should be enough to bring some SHRA through the CWA overnight. QPF will remain light on the of a tenth to a quarter of inch, highest in the CT valley and the NH mtns. Lows will drop into the low 40s most places, and maybe some upper 30s in the N. The weak 500 MB trough crosses on Wed, which means mainly cloudy skies, but it should be dry with very limited forcing. Avery weak sfc high moves in for the afternoon, which may produce a few breaks of sun in some places, but don;t expect much. It will allow onshore flow to continue,so temps may be a few degrees higher than Tuesday, so well call mostly in the 50s, but may make to around 60 in the CT and Merrimack valley. && .LONG TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... Overview: The 500 mb pattern in this period continues to suggest ridging building over the northeast, but models continue to close off an upper low offshore which will try to put the kibosh on what would otherwise be a warm and dry period. Impacts: * No significant weather impacts expected Details: Brief ridging Wednesday night behind a departing system will help skies clear ever so slightly, but not enough to make a difference in low temperatures. Expect another night in the low to mid 40s across the area with areas along the International Border maybe a bit cooler as the most clearing likely occurs there. An interesting piece of energy that looks to originate from convection in the plains will ride the ridge into our area during the day Thursday. This is just starting to get into the window of the 00Z mesoscale model suite which depicts just enough remnant moisture to develop some light scattered showers across northern zones and maybe into central Maine. Otherwise, this system will keep mostly cloudy skies around and push a warm front into interior New Hampshire where high temperatures look to climb well into the 60s. Elsewhere, onshore winds will keep highs capped in the 50s. Clouds likely won`t budge Thursday night as disturbances rotating around the upper low graze the region. This results in another night in the 40s area wide. Skies will be ever so gradually clearing on Friday as a ridge building just to the west turns upper level flow northwesterly, advecting drier air into the region. This means that even though the upper level pattern remains active, Friday looks to stay dry with temperatures in the low 60s across much of New Hampshire and upper 50s in Maine where a weak backdoor cold front may keep things cool. Saturday may be the start of a warming trend as global models are coming around to the idea of the ridge axis and surface high pressure building in and the upper low moving out to sea. However, there is still a lot of spread in the models for this day in particular and it could end up quite cool. For now I will stay close the NBM which trends temperatures down suggesting most areas will struggle to break out of the 50s with surface winds shifting around back onshore. Sunday and Monday will certainly be warmer, but will also reintroduce shower chances as the ridge and surface high pressure move off to the east. This will turn flow back to southwesterly, advecting moisture into the northeast from the Ohio Valley. Surface low pressure dragging a series of fronts through may result in light showers to begin next week. && .AVIATION /13Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... Short Term...MVFR should start to developing at S NH terminals and KLEB late this morning, eventually moving into ME terminals tonight, with a period of IFR possible overnight into early Wed. Will likely see a period of MVFR or variable MVFR-VFR on Wednesday. Long Term...VFR prevails overnight Wednesday before ceilings lower during the day Thursday as a weak system will bring light rain showers to the area. Conditions should improve back to VFR by Friday morning. The next chance for MVFR ceilings will be late Saturday night. && .MARINE... Short Term...NE winds peak this morning, before weakening this afternoon. Winds/seas are expected to remain below SCA levels through Wed. Long Term...Conditions hazardous to small craft are not expected. Winds shift southerly overnight Wedensday through most of Thursday. They then shift to northerly overnight Thursday through the better part of Saturday. They begin to shift back southerly Saturday evening. && .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. NH...None. MARINE...None. && $$ NEAR TERM...Cempa/Schroeter SHORT TERM...Cempa LONG TERM...Baron