250  
FXUS61 KCAR 250622  
AFDCAR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME  
222 AM EDT SAT APR 25 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED
 
 
- INCREASED SKY COVER TODAY THROUGH MONDAY.  
 

 
   
KEY MESSAGES
 
 
1) WARMER, SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY  
NEXT WEEK WITH NO PRECIPITATION. THE NEXT CHANCE FOR  
PRECIPITATION IS TOWARDS THE END OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
DISCUSSION
 
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...WARMER, SEASONABLE TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND  
THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH NO PRECIPITATION. THE NEXT CHANCE  
FOR PRECIPITATION IS TOWARDS THE END OF NEXT WEEK.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1 DESCRIPTION...  
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH THE AIRMASS  
GRADUALLY WARMING. NO PRECIPITATION THIS WEEKEND. ONE LITTLE  
HICCUP IS THE POTENTIAL FOR STUBBORN CLOUDS 3-6K AGL STUCK JUST  
UNDERNEATH THE SUBSIDENCE INVERSION ALOFT. FEEL THAT NBM IS  
UNDERDOING THESE CLOUDS AND WENT CLOUDIER THAN NBM, ESPECIALLY  
IN NORTH/EAST PORTIONS OF THE AREA FOR TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY.  
A BIT OF A NORTH BREEZE TODAY, THEN LIGHT WINDS SUNDAY.  
 
MOST MODELS DEVELOP A CLOSED LOW OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST  
SUNDAY NIGHT/MONDAY, THEN HAVE IT SLOWLY SLIDE EAST STARTING  
MONDAY NIGHT. THIS FEATURE DOES TWO THINGS SUNDAY NIGHT-MONDAY  
NIGHT. 1) IT MAINTAINS A LOW LEVEL NE-N FLOW OVER THE REGION AND  
2) IT SLOWS THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THE DEEP LAYERED RIDGE  
FROM THE GREAT LAKES INTO THE APPALACHIANS DURING THIS TIME  
FRAME.  
 
THE FORMER ADVECTS IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FROM THE MARITIMES. THE  
LATTER ALLOWS FOR A GRADUALLY THICKENING SUBSIDENCE INVERSION  
TO TRAP THIS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE OVER THE REGION - PROMOTING  
PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY COVER DURING THIS TIME FRAME, WHICH  
IS MORE CLOUDS THAN INDICATED BY THE NBM. BASED ON THE INCREASED  
CLOUD COVER, BLENDED IN THE NBM 50 TO RAISE LOW TEMPERATURES  
AND LOWER HIGH TEMPERATURES. THE CMC-REG TYPICALLY HANDLES  
PATTERNS LIKE THIS BETTER THAN MOST OTHER MODELS, SO LEANED  
TOWARDS IT SUNDAY NIGHT-MONDAY NIGHT - ESPECIALLY FOR CLOUD  
COVER. FOR NOW, DID NOT INTRODUCE THE DRIZZLE IT IMPLIES OVER  
NORTHERN AROOSTOOK, BUT IF CONFIDENCE IN THIS OCCURRING  
INCREASES OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS COULD SEE IT BEING ADDED  
TO THE FORECAST.  
 
DEEP LAYERED RIDGING BUILDS IN TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY, WITH  
INCREASING SUBSIDENCE INVERSION DRYING THE LOW LEVELS. THE GFS  
LIKELY IS TOO PROGRESSIVE IN BUILDING THE DEEP LAYERED RIDGING  
ACROSS THE REGION AND TOO THE EAST, AS THIS IS A KNOWN BIAS TO  
THE MODEL. IN ADDITION THE CLOSED LOW OFF THE MID-ATLANCTIC  
COAST WILL CONTINUE TO IMPEDE THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF THE  
RIDGE AS WELL.  
 
BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCES IN HANDLING OF THE DEEP LAYERED  
RIDGE, THE MODELS DIFFER ON THE TIMING OF RAINFALL, AND THE  
CORRESPONDING BUILD IN OF A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ALOFT. FOR  
NOW NOT FULLY BUYING INTO THE GFS/CMC IDEA OF TAPPING MOISTURE  
FROM THE CLOSED LOW OFF THE MID-ATLANTIC COAST AND BRINGING IN  
RAINFALL ON WEDNESDAY, WITH POPS LIMITED TO SLIGHT CHANCE TO  
CHANCE. FOR NOW BELIEVE THAT ANY WIDESPREAD RAINFALL HOLDS OFF  
UNTIL THURSDAY AND TAPERS OFF ON FRIDAY. MODELS DIFFER ON THE  
AMOUNT OF RAINFALL INTO THE END OF NEXT WEEK FRM A FEW TENTHS  
OF AN INCH (ECMWF) TO 1-3"+ (CMC), AND HENCE ON ANY IMPACTS FOR  
LATE NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/
 
 
TODAY: GENERALLY MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES TODAY WITH CIGS MAINLY AT  
LOW VFR LEVELS, THOUGH MVFR CEILINGS ARE LIKELY (60 PERCENT  
PROBABILITY) AT FVE AFTER ABOUT 13Z. CAN'T RULE OUT MVFR CIGS  
FROM TIME TO TIME CAR/PQI/HUL FROM 14Z ONWARD, BUT PROBABILITY  
OF ANY MVFR CIGS AT THESE SITES IS AROUND 30 PERCENT. WINDS  
TODAY FROM THE NORTH 10 KT GUSTING 20 KT IN THE NORTH, AND  
SUSTAINED 5-10 KT BGR/BHB WITH MINIMAL GUSTS.  
 
TONIGHT AND SUNDAY: GENERALLY VFR, BUT CAN'T RULE OUT  
INTERMITTENT MVFR CIGS MAINLY AT FVE/CAR/PQI/HUL. CONFIDENCE IS  
LOW. VARIABLE WIND AROUND 5 KTS.  
 
SUNDAY NIGHT-MONDAY: MVFR POSSIBLE WITH BEST CHANCE AT NORTHERN  
TERMINALS.  
 
MONDAY NIGHT: MVFR OR LOWER POSSIBLE AT NORTHERN TERMINALS WITH  
MVFR POSSIBLE ELSEWHERE.  
 
TUESDAY: BECOMING VFR THROUGHOUT. SE WINDS G15KT POSSIBLE IN THE  
AFTERNOON.  
 
TUESDAY NIGHT-WEDNESDAY: VFR. SE WINDS G15KT POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOON.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
WINDS AND SEAS BELOW SMALL CRAFT LEVELS THROUGH SUNDAY.  
 
A RELAXED PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE WATERS SUNDAY NIGHT-TUESDAY  
SHOULD LIMIT WINDS TO 10 KT OR LESS AND SEAS TO 4 FT OR LESS.  
 
A PERSISTENT EASTERLY SWELL BUILDS SEAS: ON THE OPEN OCEAN  
WATERS BUILD TO 5-8 FT TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY NIGHT; ON THE COASTAL  
OCEAN WATERS TO 5-7 FT AND ON THE INTRA-COASTAL WATERS TO 3-5  
FT WEDNESDAY-WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SUSTAINED WINDS SHOULD INCREASE  
TO 15-20 KT BY WEDNESDAY AS WELL ON ALL WATERS.  
 

 
   
CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ME...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 

 
 

 
 
DISCUSSION...TF/PM  
AVIATION...TF/PM  
 
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