873  
FXUS61 KCAR 150935  
AFDCAR  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME  
535 AM EDT FRI MAY 15 2026  
   
WHAT HAS CHANGED  
 
- UPDATED AVIATION SECTION TO REFLECT UPCOMING 12Z TAFS  
 
- INCREASED CONFIDENCE IN TIMING OF ISOLATED RAIN SHOWERS  
SUNDAY MORNING  
 
 
   
KEY MESSAGES  
 
1) WARM AND DRY THIS WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK.  
 
2) SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY  
AFTERNOONS.  
 
 
   
DISCUSSION  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1...WARM AND DRY THIS WEEKEND THROUGH EARLY NEXT  
WEEK.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 1 DESCRIPTION...  
THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL FINALLY EXIT TO THE EAST THIS  
WEEKEND. A BROAD RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE IN ITS  
PLACE. THIS WILL LEAD TO A SOUTHWEST DOMINANT FLOW ACROSS OUR  
FORECAST AREA, ADVECTING WARM AIR INTO THE REGION. THE  
PARTICULAR AIRMASS THAT IS ENTERING THE REGION WILL CONTAIN  
ABNORMALLY WARM TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE  
CONUS. FOR OUR AREA, AT THE NORTHERN END OF THE RIDGE,  
TEMPERATURES WILL RISE ABOVE AVERAGE BY AROUND 5 DEGREES OR SO.  
THIS MAY LEAD TO TEMPERATURES INTO THE LOW 70S ACROSS THE REGION  
THIS WEEKEND. IF THE DEPARTING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TAKES LONGER  
TO SHIFT EAST OR THE CENTER OF THE INCOMING HIGH PRESSURE SETS  
UP FURTHER SOUTH, THESE TEMPERATURES MAY NOT WARM AS MUCH. IF  
THE RIDGE THAT DEVELOPS IS STRONGER THAN CURRENTLY PROJECTED, IT  
MAY HAVE A MORE DOMINANT INFLUENCE OVER OUR FORECAST AREA AND  
TEMPERATURES COULD TREND WARMER THAN CURRENTLY PROJECTED.  
 
SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY CLEAR DURING THE SUBSIDENCE PATTERN INTO  
THIS WEEKEND, WITH LIMITED AVAILABLE ATMOSPHERIC MOISTURE AS  
PWATS ARE FORECAST TO BE LESS THAN 1 INCH, FALLING TO LESS THAN  
A HALF INCH BY SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY. SOME FAIR WEATHER  
CUMULUS MAY DEVELOP DURING SATURDAY AFTERNOON. ON SUNDAY, A WEAK  
TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA WHICH COULD BRING ISOLATED  
LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS EARLY SUNDAY MORNING BEFORE CONDITIONS DRY  
OUT ONCE MORE INTO SUNDAY AFTERNOON, ALONG WITH CONTINUED WIND  
GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH. HEADING INTO MONDAY, THERE EXISTS THE  
POTENTIAL FOR RAPIDLY DROPPING DEWPOINTS RESULTING IN RELATIVE  
HUMIDITY THAT COULD PLUMMET BELOW 30 PERCENT, AS FORECAST  
SOUNDINGS SHOW STEEP LAPSE RATES AND A DEEP POCKET OF DRY AIR IN  
THE MID LEVELS.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TUESDAY AND  
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOONS.  
 
KEY MESSAGE 2 DESCRIPTION...  
SOUTHWEST WINDS RETURN THE WARM, MORE MOIST AIR ADVECTION TO  
THE AREA TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY, RE-ENERGIZING THE ATMOSPHERE  
WITH FUEL THAT COULD SUPPORT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.  
EARLY GLOBAL GUIDANCE SUGGESTS CAPE VALUES COULD APPROACH 1000  
J/KG WITH AROUND 40 KTS OF BULK SHEAR, AND THESE INGREDIENTS  
COULD HELP WITH NOT ONLY THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT BUT SUSTAINING  
THUNDERSTORMS FOR A LONGER DURATION. THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE  
POSSIBLE ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA, BUT FORCING AND AVAILABLE  
MOISTURE WILL BE GREATEST IN THE NORTH CLOSER TO THE LINGERING  
WARM FRONT.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /09Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/  
 
TODAY...VFR NORTH, MVFR FOR KBGR/KBHB IN SCATTERED SHOWERS. E TO  
NE WIND 5 TO 10 KT.  
 
TONIGHT...VFR. S TO SW WIND 5 TO 10 KT.  
 
SATURDAY...VFR. W TO SW WIND 10 TO 15 KT.  
 
SATURDAY NIGHT - SUNDAY...GENERALLY VFR ACROSS ALL TERMINALS.  
ISOLATED -SHRA POSSIBLE EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. W TO NW WINDS 10  
TO 15 KTS GUSTING 20 TO 25 KTS.  
 
SUNDAY NIGHT - MONDAY NIGHT...VFR. NW WINDS 5 TO 10 KTS,  
SHIFTING S BY MONDAY NIGHT.  
 
TUESDAY...OVERALL VFR, WITH MVFR/IFR POSSIBLE IN ANY RAIN  
SHOWERS. LOW CIGS MOST LIKELY AT NORTHERN TERMINALS. SCATTERED  
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON. SW WINDS 5 TO 10 KTS.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS UP INTO SATURDAY WITH SEAS RANGING  
FROM 5 TO 7 FT.  
 
SEAS 4 TO 7 FT SATURDAY NIGHT INTO THE DAY ON SUNDAY WILL BEGIN  
TO GRADUALLY DECREASE LATE SUNDAY INTO THE BEGINNING OF NEXT  
WEEK. WINDS GUSTING 20 TO 30 KTS WILL ALSO DECREASE THROUGH THE  
DAY ON SUNDAY, REMAINING BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA  
THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF THE UPCOMING WORK WEEK.  
 
 
   
CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
ME...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM EDT SATURDAY FOR ANZ050-051.  
 
 
 
 
 
DISCUSSION...AES/TWD  
AVIATION...AES/TWD  
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
The Nexlab ME Page
Main Text Page