627  
FXUS61 KGYX 151141  
AFDGYX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME  
641 AM EST FRI NOV 15 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
VERY COLD START TO THE DAY WILL GIVE WAY TO ANOTHER COOL AND  
VERY DRY AFTERNOON. THERE IS NOT MUCH END IN SIGHT WHEN IT COMES  
TO DRY WEATHER, WITH LITTLE PRECIPITATION EXPECTED THROUGH MOST  
OF NEXT WEEK. EXPANDING DROUGHT AND FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL  
BE THE PRIMARY HAZARDS TO WATCH. GRADUALLY WARMING TEMPERATURES  
ARE EXPECTED INTO NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/
 
 
UPDATE...MINOR CHANGES TO REFLECT LATEST OBSERVATIONAL TRENDS.  
 
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...COLD AND VERY DRY AIR MASS REMAINS IN  
PLACE ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING. TEMPS IN THE TEENS AND 20S  
WILL TRY AND REBOUND TO NEAR 50 THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS SOUTHERN  
NH AND SOUTHWESTERN ME...WITH 40S ELSEWHERE. SIGNIFICANT DRY AIR  
WILL EAT AWAY AT THE PRECIP DRIFTING INTO DOWNEAST ME FROM A  
RETROGRADING LOW PRESSURE...AND POP THRU THE KENNEBEC RIVER  
VALLEY INTO PENOBSCOT BAY REMAIN ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AT BEST.  
BY THE TIME IT ARRIVES TEMPS SHOULD HAVE WARMED SUFFICIENTLY TO  
KEEP THINGS RAIN EXCEPT FOR SOME OF THE HIGHER PEAKS OF THE  
WESTERN ME MTNS.  
 
OTHERWISE THE MAIN CONCERNS TODAY WILL BE HIGH ASTRONOMICAL  
TIDES AND FIRE WEATHER. SEE THE TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING AND FIRE  
WEATHER SECTIONS BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM SATURDAY/
 
 
WE LOSE THE SURFACE RIDGING TONIGHT THAT HAS BEEN SO FAVORABLE  
FOR RADIATIONAL COOLING THE PAST COUPLE OF NIGHTS. IT WILL STILL  
BE COOLER THAN RECENT WEATHER...BUT CLOSER TO NORMAL FOR THIS  
TIME OF YEAR. SOME LINGERING SCATTERED TO ISOLATED SHOWERS WILL  
BE POSSIBLE OVERNIGHT BUT MAINLY IN THE MTNS AND BECOMING MORE  
UPSLOPE FORCED WITH TIME.  
 
AIR MASS BEGINS TO MODERATE SAT. SLIGHTLY WARMER AFTERNOON TEMPS  
ARE EXPECTED...BUT DEWPOINTS ALSO CREEP UP AND RH WITH THEM.  
WINDS MAY BE A BIT GUSTIER HOWEVER...SO WILL HAVE TO MONITOR THE  
MIN RH VALUES CLOSELY FOR FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. ASTRONOMICAL  
TIDES REMAIN HIGH AS WELL...AND MINOR FLOODING IS POSSIBLE  
AGAIN.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
THE EXTENDED FORECAST REMAINS MOSTLY DRY AND QUIET. A LOW OVER NOVA  
SCOTIA BRINGS THE CHANCE OF A FEW SHOWERS INTO CENTRAL MAINE AS IT  
RETROGRADES BACK TOWARDS NEW ENGLAND. THE RETROGRADING LOW WILL  
ALLOW A NORTHERLY WIND TO DEVELOP, BRINGING COLDER AIR INTO THE  
REGION. MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES IN ADDITION TO CAA SHOULD MAKE FOR COLDER  
LOWS SUNDAY MORNING COMPARED TO SATURDAY MORNING. HIGHER SEAS AND  
HIGH ASTROTIDES MAY BRING SOME MINOR COASTAL FLOODING AT HIGH TIDE  
ON SATURDAY.  
 
A QUICK SHOT OF MOISTURE ARRIVES FROM CANADA ON MONDAY,  
ALLOWING CHANCES FOR RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. PRECIPITATION WILL  
BE MORE ISOLATED SOUTH OF THE MOUNTAINS AS DOWNSLOPING DRIES OUT  
THE ATMOSPHERE IN THESE AREAS.  
 
A RIDGE MOVES IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST ON MONDAY, MAINTAINING ITSELF  
THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK; TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO RUN ABOVE  
AVERAGE. GRADUALLY, THE JET STREAM AMPLIFIES INTO A BLOCKING PATTERN  
AS AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW OVER THE GREAT LAKES MOVES NORTHWARD. THIS  
UPPER-LEVEL LOW IS STACKED ONTO A SURFACE LOW, ALLOWING THE SURFACE  
LOW TO DISSIPATE AND OCCLUDE.  
 
THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW MAKES A SHIFT INTO NEW ENGLAND BY THE END OF  
NEXT WEEK, CAUSING A LOW TO DEVELOP SOMEWHERE ALONG THE DYING COLD  
FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREVIOUS SURFACE LOW. THIS LOW WILL BRING  
UNSETTLED WEATHER FOR THE END OF NEXT WEEK, ALONG WITH THE  
POSSIBILITY OF SOME MEASURABLE AND MUCH-NEEDED PRECIPITATION.  
HOWEVER, UNCERTAINTY IS VERY HIGH AT THIS TIME DUE TO THE BLOCKING  
PATTERN, AND DETAILS WILL RELY ON WHERE EXACTLY THE NEW SURFACE LOW  
DEVELOPS.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /12Z FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
SHORT TERM...VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL THRU SAT. NORTHERLY SURFACE  
GUSTS AROUND 20 TO 25 KT POSSIBLE TODAY ACROSS CENTRAL  
ME...INCLUDING AUG AND RKD. MVFR CIGS WILL TRY AND SNEAK INTO  
THE FORECAST AREA FROM THE EAST LATE TONIGHT...BUT WILL BE  
FALLING APART AS IT GETS CLOSER. I DO NOT ANTICIPATE IT  
ENCROACHING ON ANY TAF SITES AT THIS TIME...WITH THE ONLY  
RESTRICTIONS POSSIBLE IN THE WESTERN ME MTNS.  
 
LONG TERM...VFR IS EXPECTED SUN. UNSETTLED WEATHER ARRIVES ON  
MONDAY, WITH SOME MVFR CIGS POSSIBLE IN SHOWERS. VFR AND CLEARER  
SKIES LIKELY RETURN TO LOCATIONS SOUTH OF THE MOUNTAINS ON  
TUESDAY, WITH LOW OVERCAST SKIES REINFORCING MVFR CIGS NORTH OF  
THE MOUNTAINS.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
SHORT TERM...SCA CONTINUES THRU TONIGHT. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL BE  
GUSTY AT TIMES AND SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN AT OR ABOVE 5 FT  
OUTSIDE OF THE BAYS. MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS MAY LINGER THRU SAT  
AND AN EXTENSION MAY BE NECESSARY.  
 
LONG TERM...WINDS AND SEAS MAY EXCEED SCA SUNDAY. SEAS OF 2-3  
FEET ARE EXPECTED IN CASCO/PENOBSCOT BAYS WITH 4- 6 FOOT SEAS IN  
THE OPEN WATERS. WINDS THIS WEEKEND WILL BE OUT OF THE  
NORTHWEST AT 15-20 KTS, POTENTIALLY GUSTING TO 25KTS OVER OPEN  
WATERS. SEAS AND WINDS IMPROVE FOR THE START OF NEXT WEEK.  
 

 
   
FIRE WEATHER
 
 
VERY DRY AIR MASS REMAINS IN PLACE TODAY...CENTERED MAINLY  
SOUTHWEST OF A PORTLAND TO FRYEBURG LINE. MIN RH VALUES ARE  
FORECAST TO FALL INTO THE UPPER TEENS IN THIS AREA. THE MORE  
FREQUENT WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN NORTHEAST OF THIS  
AREA...BUT A FEW GUSTS AROUND 20 MPH ARE POSSIBLE THIS  
AFTERNOON. HOWEVER NEARLY TWO DAYS NOW OF POOR OVERNIGHT  
RECOVERY OF FUELS HAS BEEN OBSERVED. GIVEN THAT THEY ARE  
EXPECTED TO START THE DAY QUITE DRY AND WITH THE FORECAST  
GETTING DRIER THIS AFTERNOON ALONG WITH OCCASIONALLY GUSTY WINDS  
THE RED FLAG WARNING REMAINS IN PLACE FOR PARTS OF SOUTHERN AND  
CENTRAL NH. GRADUAL RH IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED THRU THE WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING
 
 
CONSISTENT STORM SURGE PATTERN CONTINUES BETWEEN HIGH AND LOW  
TIDES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL TIDE CYCLES. THE COASTAL FLOOD  
ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE MID MORNING HIGH TIDE. WATER  
LEVELS WILL INCREASE TO RIGHT AROUND FLOOD STAGE...BUT LITTLE  
IN THE WAY OF NEARSHORE WAVE ACTION WILL MITIGATE SOME OF THE  
IMPACTS OF HIGH WATER. SAT MORNING WILL SEE ANOTHER VERY HIGH  
ASTRONOMICAL TIDE...AND IF SURGE PATTERNS CONTINUE ANOTHER  
ADVISORY OR STATEMENT MAY BE NECESSARY.  
 

 
   
GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ME...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR MEZ023-  
024.  
NH...COASTAL FLOOD ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR NHZ014.  
RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR NHZ023>025.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM EST SATURDAY FOR ANZ150>152-  
154.  
 

 
 

 
 
NEAR TERM...LEGRO  
SHORT TERM...LEGRO  
LONG TERM...PALMER  
AVIATION...LEGRO  
MARINE...LEGRO  
 
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