775  
FXUS61 KGYX 282351  
AFDGYX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME  
651 PM EST WED JAN 28 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
LITTLE HAS CHANGED THIS EVENING EXCEPT THE MARINE FORECAST. WE  
HOISTED A SCA FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT AND ALSO PAIRED  
THAT WITH A FREEZING SPRAY ADVISORY.  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
1. BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUE THROUGH THE END OF THE  
WEEK WITH BELOW ZERO WIND CHILLS EXPECTED MOST NIGHTS THROUGH  
SATURDAY NIGHT/EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.  
 
2. A STRONG COASTAL LOW MAY BRING IMPACTS TO THE COAST ON  
SUNDAY, BUT MOST GUIDANCE FAVORS A TRACK FAR ENOUGH OFFSHORE TO  
KEEP THE IMPACTS MINIMAL.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1 DESCRIPTION...  
RIDGING OVER THE AREA HAS MADE FOR A MOSTLY CLEAR DAY WITH  
NORTHWESTERLY FLOW BRINGING THE OCCASIONAL LIGHT SNOW SHOWER TO  
THE MOUNTAINS. FROUDE NUMBERS THIS AFTERNOON SUGGEST UNBLOCKED  
FLOW, SO I SUPPOSE SOME FLAKES ARE POSSIBLE DOWNSTREAM, BUT THE  
SHOWERS ALSO AREN'T THAT EXPANSIVE AND MAY RESEMBLE FLURRIES  
MORE THAN ANYTHING. A SHORTWAVE APPROACHES THIS EVENING AND  
CROSSES OVERNIGHT WHICH TRENDS SKIES TOWARD MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH  
CONTINUED SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS. THESE ADDED CLOUDS  
SHOULD KEEP US FROM RADIATING AS WELL AS LAST NIGHT, BUT EXPECT  
VERY COLD TEMPERATURES TO CONTINUE WITH LOWS BOTTOMING OUT IN  
THE SINGLE DIGITS EITHER SIDE OF ZERO.  
 
MEAN TROUGHING CONTINUES OVER THE REGION ALLOWING FOR COLD AIR  
TO STAY LOCKED IN PLACE AND TEMPERATURES TO ONCE AGAIN NOT BUDGE  
MUCH PAST THE UPPER TEENS AND LOW 20S IN THE SOUTH, WITH LOW TO  
MID TEENS UP NORTH. WE SEE ANOTHER SHORTWAVE ROTATE THROUGH  
THURSDAY AFTERNOON OVER A NEWLY FORMED UPPER LOW OVER NOVA  
SCOTIA. THIS PROVIDES UPPER LEVEL FORCING FOR ADDITIONAL SHOWERS  
OR FLURRIES, BUT WITH NO FRONTAL FORCING THEY SHOULDN'T AMOUNT  
TO MUCH MORE. SKIES LOOK CLEARER THURSDAY NIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE  
BEGINS TO BUILD IN, BUT THE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL BE  
TIGHTENING AS LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS OVER ATLANTIC CANADA WHICH  
COULD KEEP US MIXING ENOUGH TO AVOID A TRUE RADIATIONAL COOLING  
SCENARIO. REGARDLESS, IT WILL BE VERY COLD WITH TEMPERATURES  
BOTTOMING OUT IN THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO AREAWIDE. FACTOR  
IN THE WIND CHILL AND WE ARE LOOKING AT -10 TO -15F SOUTH OF THE  
MOUNTAINS AND -20 TO -25F IN THE NORTH. COLD WEATHER ADVISORIES  
MAY EVENTUALLY BE NEEDED. THIS VERY COLD WEATHER WITH NIGHTLY  
BELOW ZERO WIND CHILLS CONTINUES INTO EARLY SUNDAY MORNING.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2 DESCRIPTION...  
GLOBAL MODELS CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE A STRONG COASTAL LOW  
LIFTING TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST OFFSHORE OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD  
SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM MAY ULTIMATELY BRING  
SOME MEASURABLE SNOW AND GUSTY WINDS TO PORTIONS OF THE AREA,  
PARTICULARLY CLOSER TO THE COAST AND SE NH, BUT GUIDANCE FOR THE  
MOST PART CURRENTLY FAVORS KEEPING THE TRACK OF THE LOW FAR  
ENOUGH TO THE SOUTH AND EAST TO KEEP IMPACTS MINIMAL AND THE  
MORE SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION OFFSHORE. WE'LL SEE HOW MODEL  
TRENDS WITH THE TRACK OF THIS SYSTEM IN THE COMING DAYS AS ANY  
SHIFTS TO THE NORTH AND WEST WOULD BRING IN HIGHER SNOW  
CHANCES/AMOUNTS, AND THERE ARE STILL SOME INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS  
WITHIN BOTH THE GFS/ECMWF CAMPS HOLDING ONTO THAT SCENARIO. IN  
ADDITION, WE'LL BE ENTERING A PERIOD OF HIGH ASTRONOMICAL TIDES,  
SO WE'LL NEED TO WATCH FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR ANY COASTAL  
FLOODING.  
 
ONCE THIS SYSTEM DEPARTS INTO THE CANADIAN MARITIMES SUNDAY  
NIGHT, DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED FOR THE EARLY TO MIDDLE  
PART OF NEXT WEEK WITH MONDAY BEING SOMEWHAT BREEZY.  
TEMPERATURES LOOK TO GET BACK CLOSER TO NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE  
UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /00Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY...CEILINGS THICKEN AND LOWER A BIT THIS  
EVENING, BUT SHOULD STAY MOSTLY VFR, WITH HIE BEING THE  
EXCEPTION AND RIDING THE MVFR/VFR LINE. LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS MAY  
ALSO PASS NEAR OR OVER LEB AND HIE TONIGHT, BUT THESE HAVE BEEN  
BRIEF WHEN THEY DO PASS OVERHEAD AND OVERALL THE ACTIVITY IS NOT  
VERY EXPANSIVE SO LEFT THEM WITH VCSH. CEILINGS LIFT AND  
SCATTER OUT AFTER 12Z THURSDAY.  
 
OUTLOOK:  
 
THURSDAY AFTERNOON/NIGHT: MOSTLY VFR EXPECTED WITH SOME  
ISOLATED LIGHT SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN THAT  
COULD BRING BRIEF VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS IF THEY PASS OVER A  
TERMINAL. NORTHWESTERLY WIND GUSTS 15-20 KTS ARE POSSIBLE  
THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.  
 
FRIDAY-SATURDAY NIGHT: A FEW SNOW SHOWERS AND MVFR CEILINGS AT HIE,  
BUT OTHERWISE VFR IS EXPECTED.  
 
SUNDAY-SUNDAY NIGHT: A COASTAL STORM MAY BRING FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS  
TO PORTIONS OF THE REGION, BUT TO WHAT DEGREE REMAINS OF LOW  
CONFIDENCE AS IT IS DEPENDENT ON HOW FAR OFFSHORE THE STORM SYSTEM  
ENDS UP TRACKING.  
 
MONDAY: MVFR POSSIBLE AT HIE, BUT VFR EXPECTED ELSEWHERE.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
NORTHWESTERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT.  
DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE OVER ATLANTIC CANADA BRINGS WIND GUSTS  
25-30 KTS TO THE WATERS AS EARLY AS THURSDAY EVENING, LASTING  
UNTIL AT LEAST EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO  
REMAIN BELOW 5FT DURING THIS TIME.  
 
MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS POSSIBLE WITH W/WNW WINDS GUSTING TO AROUND  
25 KT ON FRIDAY, BUT THESE WINDS DIMINISH FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY.  
A STRENGTHENING LOW IS THEN EXPECTED TO EMERGE OFF THE SOUTHEAST US  
COAST SATURDAY NIGHT AND THEN LIFT N/NNE SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT.  
ALTHOUGH THE FORECAST TRACK WILL STILL FLUCTUATE IN THE COMING DAYS,  
GALES ARE INCREASINGLY LIKELY OVER THE WATERS WITH A POSSIBILITY OF  
STORM FORCE GUSTS. NORTHWESTERLY GALES MAY PERSIST INTO MONDAY AS  
THE LOW LIFTS INTO THE CANADIAN MARITIMES, BUT THEN CONDITIONS ARE  
EXPECTED TO IMPROVE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY.  
 
 
   
GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
ME...NONE.  
NH...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 4 PM THURSDAY TO 1 PM EST FRIDAY FOR  
ANZ150>152-154.  
FREEZING SPRAY ADVISORY FROM 7 PM THURSDAY TO 1 PM EST FRIDAY  
FOR ANZ150>154.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...BARON/COMBS/EKSTER  
AVIATION...  
MARINE...  
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