603  
FXUS61 KGYX 160626  
AFDGYX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME  
126 AM EST MON FEB 16 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
A COATING TO AN INCH OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN TIME FOR THE TUESDAY  
MORNING COMMUTE RESULTING IN MINOR TRAVEL IMPACTS.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1. A COATING TO AN INCH OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE IN TIME FOR THE TUESDAY  
MORNING COMMUTE RESULTING IN MINOR TRAVEL IMPACTS. TEMPERATURES  
RISE ABOVE FREEZING LATE TUESDAY MORNING WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER  
30S TO LOW 40S DURING THE AFTERNOON.  
 
2. THERE ARE TWO DISTINCT SYSTEMS MID AND LATE WEEK TO WATCH FOR  
THE NEXT ROUND OF WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION. THE FIRST COULD  
BRING ACCUMULATING SNOW TO AT LEAST THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE  
FORECAST AREA, WITH UNCERTAINTY ON NORTHERN EXTENT.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1 DESCRIPTION...  
HIGH PRESSURE KEEPS THE FORECAST AREA MOSTLY DRY THROUGH TODAY.  
A SHORT WAVE AND ATTENDANT SURFACE LOW WILL TRACK NORTH OF THE  
AREA TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY WITH A WARM FRONT CROSSING THE AREA  
AROUND THE TIME OF THE TUESDAY MORNING COMMUTE. THE LATEST NBM  
CONTINUES TO KEEP POPS BELOW 15 PERCENT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA  
WHILE LATEST AVAILABLE HI RES GUIDANCE SUGGESTS THAT AT LEAST A  
COATING TO AN INCH OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE WARM FRONT  
IMPINGES ON THE AREA. HAVE UTILIZED HI RES GUIDANCE INTO THE  
LATEST FORECAST TO HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL FOR MINOR TRAVEL  
IMPACTS TUESDAY MORNING. AS THE WARM FRONT PUSHES THROUGH  
TUESDAY MORNING MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW DRYING ALOFT WHILE LOW  
LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINS. THIS MAY ALLOW FOR SNOW TO BRIEFLY  
CHANGE TO FREEZING DRIZZLE WHILE TIMING OF THIS DRYING ALOFT  
LOOKS TO COINCIDE WITH SURFACE TEMPERATURES RISING ABOVE  
FREEZING. THEREFORE, HAVE STUCK WITH RAIN OR SNOW WORDING, BUT  
WILL HAVE TO MONITOR TRENDS TODAY FOR THE POTENTIAL OF ANY  
FREEZING DRIZZLE.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2 DESCRIPTION...  
PROMINENT UPPER AND MID LEVEL JET SPANS ACROSS THE CONUS MID  
WEEK WHICH WILL HASTEN TRANSPORT OF DISTURBANCES EASTWARD. THE  
FIRST DISTURBANCE IS AND WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE A HIGHER DEGREE  
OF UNCERTAINTY FOR NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND DUE TO ITS ORIGIN AND  
HOW ITS MANIPULATED EASTWARD.  
 
PARENT LOW WILL BE IN AN EDDY ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS  
TUESDAY NIGHT WITH THE MAIN JET TO THE SOUTH. THIS POCKET OF  
RELATIVELY SLOWER FLOW WILL TEND TO SHEAR THE SYSTEM INTO TWO  
AS THE JET IS QUICK TO ACCELERATE THE SOUTHERN HALF. THIS PIECE  
HAS BEEN MODELED TO TRACK ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES AND TOWARDS NEW  
ENGLAND WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT.  
 
INTENSIFICATION OF THIS PART IS LIKELY AS IT QUICKLY TRAVERSES  
EAST. IT WILL HAVE DECENT JET DYNAMICS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF  
SYNOPTIC LIFT, RESULTING IN A SIZABLE SWATH OF PRECIPITATION.  
MODERATE IVT ACROSS THE TN VALLEY SHOULD ALSO AID IN THE  
MAGNITUDE OF PRECIP, WITH 24 HR NBM MEAN OF AROUND 0.75" INTO  
THE NORTHEAST. WITH THE STORM BEING PROGRESSIVE, LOCATIONS WILL  
NEED TO MAXIMIZE DURATION UNDER THE BAND OF PRECIP TO SEE BULK  
OF ACCUMULATION, AND POSITIONING OF THIS REMAINS UNCERTAIN.  
 
AS THIS SYSTEM IS PUSHING EAST, NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND WILL STILL  
BE IN COOL AND DRY NW FLOW. THIS CAN QUICKLY WHITTLE AWAY  
WEAKENING MOISTURE TRANSPORT INTO THE REGION, LIMITED THE  
NORTHWARD EXTENT OF THE PRECIP SHIELD. GFS TRENDS OVER THE PAST  
24 HOURS HAVE SHOWN THIS IN COMBINATION WITH A FURTHER SOUTH  
TRAJECTORY KEEPING THE CWA MOSTLY DRY IN THE WED/WED NIGHT  
PERIOD. ECMWF AND CANADIAN GUIDANCE HAS HELD ON TO A MORE  
NORTHERLY TRACK WITH QPF VALUES AROUND 0.10" TO 0.40". IN  
CLUSTER ANALYSIS, SNOWIER SOLUTIONS CWA-WIDE RESULT FROM GREATER  
RIDGING ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA THAT DISPLACES AND WEAKENS  
PREVAILING NW FLOW INTO NNE. THERE IS A MINORITY OF CLUSTER  
WEIGHTING THAT SUGGESTS STRONGER TROUGHING TO SUPPLY DRY AIR TO  
THE REGION. THIS PROVES A WIDE SPREAD OF OVER HALF AN INCH  
LIQUID EQUIVALENT FOR MOST OF THE SOUTHERN CWA PER THE NBM.  
 
THE GOING FORECAST CALLS FOR WHATS MOST PROBABLE AT THE TIME: A  
GREATER PORTION OF PRECIP OVERSPREADING THE SOUTHERN FORECAST  
AREA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON VS. THE NORTH. TEMPS THROUGH THE COLUMN  
SHOULD BE COOL ENOUGH FOR SNOW, BUT SFC TEMPS MAY BE WELL IN  
THE MID TO UPPER 30S FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA. THIS COULD LEAD  
TO A ROUND OF RAIN/SNOW MIX BEFORE SHIFTING TO SNOW OVERNIGHT.  
 
LATE WEEK, ADDITIONAL LOW PRESSURE PUSHES INTO THE OHIO VALLEY  
AND TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST. HOW THIS LOW INTERACTS WITH ANOTHER  
RAPIDLY MOVING OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC WILL DETERMINE LONGEVITY OF  
THE NEXT ROUND OF WIDESPREAD PRECIP AS WELL AS INTENSITY. FOR  
NOW THERE ARE A LOT OF POSSIBLE OUTCOMES RESULTING IN LOW  
CONFIDENCE, BUT CONSENSUS IS WINTRY PRECIP COULD BRING SLICK  
TRAVEL TO THE REGION.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /04Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/
 
 
THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY...VFR PREVAILS THROUGH 00Z TUESDAY, BUT  
CEILINGS WILL TREND TO BKN/OVC FROM 06Z TO 15Z. THERE IS A LOW  
CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS AT NEW HAMPSHIRE TERMINALS  
OVERNIGHT. ONLY INCLUDED VCSH AT LEB AND HIE AT THIS TIME.  
CEILINGS SCATTER MONDAY AFTERNOON BEFORE BECOMING OVC MONDAY  
NIGHT.  
 
OUTLOOK...  
 
MONDAY NIGHT -TUESDAY: CIGS THICKEN AND LOWER WITH MVFR LIKELY  
BY AROUND 06Z. LIGHT SNOW BETWEEN 06Z AND 15Z MAY BRIEFLY BRING  
ABOUT LOCALIZED IFR CONDITIONS. TEMPERATURES RISE ABOVE  
FREEZING SOUTH OF THE MOUNTAINS LEADING TO ANY SNOW SHOWERS  
CHANGING TO RAIN SHOWERS.  
 
TUESDAY NIGHT: CONDITIONS IMPROVE TUESDAY NIGHT WHILE MVFR CIGS  
AND -SHSN CONTINUE TO IMPACT KHIE.  
 
WEDNESDAY AND WED NIGHT: MVFR/IFR POSSIBLE INTO THE LATTER PART  
OF WED AS SN MOVES IN FROM THE WEST. THERE REMAINS UNCERTAINTY  
HOW FAR NORTH SN MAKES IT IN THE FORECAST AREA, WITH IFR VIS  
INITIALLY POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN NH TERMINALS.  
 
THURSDAY AND THURS NIGHT: SN DECREASES IN COVERAGE WITH  
POTENTIAL TREND TO VFR INTO THURSDAY NIGHT.  
 
FRIDAY: ACTIVE PATTERN CONTINUES WITH CHANCES FOR SNOW WHILE  
CONFIDENCE AT THIS TIME RANGE IS LOW.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
WINDS GENERALLY STAY BELOW 25 KTS THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK AS  
WEEK SYSTEMS CROSS THE NORTHEAST. SEAS BUILD TO AROUND 5 FEET  
TUESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. WINDS WILL INCREASE AGAIN  
BY FRIDAY NIGHT AS ANOTHER WEAK STORM PASSES TO THE SOUTH  
BRINGING INCREASED NORTHEAST WINDS AND POSSIBLE SCA CONDITIONS.  
 

 
   
GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ME...NONE.  
NH...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...PALMER/CORNWELL/SCHROETER  
 
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