677  
FXUS61 KGYX 152021  
AFDGYX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME  
321 PM EST SUN DEC 15 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
HIGH PRESSURE MOVES EAST OF NEW ENGLAND OVERNIGHT, WITH A WEAK  
WARM FRONT CROSSING OVERNIGHT. A COLD FRONT APPROACHES ON  
MONDAY, AND CROSSES NEW ENGLAND MONDAY NIGHT. DURING THE LATTER  
HALF OF THE WORK WEEK A STRONGER STORM SYSTEM IS POSSIBLE WITH  
THE CHANCE FOR SOME SNOWFALL. A COLDER AIR MASS RETURNS BY NEXT  
WEEKEND.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/  
 
HIGH CLOUDS GRADUALLY FILTER IN THROUGH THE EVENING AS HIGH  
PRESSURE SLIPS OFF TO THE EAST. A WEAKENING WARM FRONT  
APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTHWEST BRINGS A PUSH OF WAA ALOFT  
OVERNIGHT, BRINGING THE CHANCE FOR SOME PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW OR  
FLURRIES TO SOUTHWESTERN AREAS. ANY SNOW WOULD BE VERY LIGHT AS  
THE MOISTURE HAS TO OVERCOME THE DRY AIR IN PLACE.  
ADDITIONALLY, THE WEAKENING PUSH OF THE WAA MAKES LITTLE  
PROGRESS PAST SOUTHERN AREAS, KEEPING THE CHANCE OF FLAKES TO  
MAINLY SOUTHWEST AND SOUTHERN NH. A DUSTING CAN'T BE RULED OUT,  
BUT EVEN THIS WOULD BE AN ACHIEVEMENT IN THE FACE OF ALL THE  
DRY AIR PRESENT.  
 
ELSEWHERE, CLOUDS INCREASE OVERNIGHT AND MOSTLY HOLD  
TEMPERATURES STEADY AFTER COOLING OFF THROUGH THE EVENING. LOWS  
DROP INTO THE TEENS AND 20S ACROSS THE AREA, WITH THE COOLEST  
READINGS FOUND IN THE NORTHERN VALLEYS. TEMPS LIKELY START TO  
CREEP UP AFTER MIDNIGHT ALONG THE COAST AS A WEAK SOUTHERLY FLOW  
DEVELOPS.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/  
 
LOW PRESSURE TRACKING NORTH OF THE GREAT LAKES BRINGS AN  
INCREASING SOUTHERLY FLOW INTO THE NORTHEAST TOMORROW. HOWEVER,  
DEPARTING HIGH PRESSURE LEAVES A COOL AND DRY AIRMASS IN PLACE  
ACROSS NEW ENGLAND, LEAVING BEHIND A CAD TEMPERATURE SIGNATURE  
ACROSS THE AREA. ALTHOUGH THE COOL AIR WILL GRADUALLY RETREAT  
LATE TOMORROW AND TOMORROW NIGHT, THESE SET UPS CONSISTENTLY  
RESULT IN MORE DELAYED WARMING THAN THE GUIDANCE SHOWS, WITH  
THIS LIKELY TO BE ANOTHER SUCH OCCURRENCE. WITH THIS IN MIND,  
TEMPERATURES FOR TOMORROW AND TOMORROW NIGHT WERE BROUGHT DOWN  
WITH COOLER HIGH RES GUIDANCE, AND COOLED A BIT MORE AS NEEDED.  
THIS RESULTS IN HIGHS MOSTLY IN THE 30S FOR THE DAY TOMORROW  
WITH MORE CLOUDS TO THE SOUTH, AND MORE SUN TO THE NORTH.  
 
BY TOMORROW NIGHT, MOISTURE BEGINS TO INCREASE AS THE LOW  
TRACKS WELL NORTH OF NEW ENGLAND, AND THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT  
APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THE LINGERING CAD LIKELY HAS ENOUGH  
TIME TO ERODE ALONG THE COASTAL PLAIN BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION  
ARRIVES, WITH TEMPS LIKELY WARMING THROUGH THE NIGHT IN THESE  
AREAS. ACROSS THE INTERIOR AND THE NORTHERN VALLEYS,  
TEMPERATURES LIKELY START AT OR BELOW FREEZING WITH THE PRECIP'S  
ARRIVAL. WITH WARM TEMPERATURES ALOFT, ANY SNOW FLAKES QUICKLY  
TRANSITION TO A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN BEFORE TEMPS WARM TO  
FREEZING OVERNIGHT. ICING LOOKS TO REMAIN LIMITED, WITH LESS THE  
A TENTH OF AN INCH EXPECTED IN THE AREAS THAT DO SEE FREEZING  
RAIN. THE MOUNTAINS AND HILLTOPS COULD SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE ICE  
ACCRETION, BUT THIS WOULD REMAIN VERY LOCALIZED IN COVERAGE.  
 
TEMPS WARM TO AT LEAST FREEZING ACROSS THE INTERIOR OVERNIGHT,  
WITH RAIN TO END THE EVENT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. QPF AMOUNTS  
OF GENERALLY 0.25-0.50 INCH ARE EXPECTED, WITH SLIGHTLY HIGHER  
AMOUNTS THROUGH THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. THE BULK OF THE RAIN WILL  
EXIT EASTERN AREAS BY DAYBREAK ON TUESDAY.  
 
ADDITIONALLY, A PERIOD OF BREEZY CONDITIONS ALONG THE COAST IS  
LIKELY WITH SOUTHERLY WIND GUSTS UP TO 30-40 MPH. THESE DIE OFF  
WITH THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT TUESDAY MORNING.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/  
 
KEY MESSAGES: WINTRY PRECIP POSSIBLE WED NIGHT INTO EARLY THU.  
IT WILL DEPEND ON TRACK/TIMING...BUT SOME SNOW/MIX IS LOOKING  
MORE LIKELY IN THE MTNS. THE COAST AND SOUTHERN NH IS MORE OF A  
TOSS UP BETWEEN ALL RAIN AND SNOW/MIX.  
 
OVERVIEW: GRADUAL BUILDING OF A WESTERN CONUS RIDGE WILL SUPPORT  
A DEEPENING EAST COAST TROF THRU THE END OF THE PERIOD. THE TROF  
WILL BE CARVED OUT BY SEVERAL S/WV TROFS THAT WILL BRING AT  
LEAST A COUPLE CHANCES OF WINTRY PRECIP TO PARTS OF THE FORECAST  
AREA THRU THE WEEKEND.  
 
DETAILS: COLD FRONT/OCCLUSION WILL SWEEP THRU EARLY TUE AND  
BRING AN END TO STEADY RAIN. TEMPS ARE A BIT TRICKY...AS THERE  
WILL LIKELY BE SOME IN SITU COLD AIR DAMMING. HOWEVER THE FRONT  
ITSELF MAY BRIEFLY MIX THINGS OUT AND TEMPS COULD SPIKE FOR AN  
HOUR OR TWO BEFORE COLD ADVECTION KICKS IN. OVERALL I LEANED  
COLDER ON HOURLY TEMPS...WITH A HIGH TEMP GRID SEVERAL DEGREES  
WARMER TO COVER THE POTENTIAL SPIKE. DESPITE THE COLD AIR  
DAMMING THOUGH THE PTYPE SHOULD BE MAINLY RAIN EXCEPT FOR THE  
HIGHEST PEAKS.  
 
THERE WILL BE A BREAK WED. HIGH PRESSURE WILL NOT QUITE BUILD  
IN...BUT SURFACE RIDGING DOES BRIEFLY NOSE NORTHWARD INTO NEW  
ENGLAND. THE NEXT WAVE WILL BE CLOSE ON ITS HEELS. THIS NORTHERN  
STREAM S/WV TROF WILL APPROACH THE SURFACE BAROCLINIC ZONE AND  
PRECIP SHOULD BEGIN TO BLOSSOM ALONG THAT BOUNDARY. ON THE  
POLEWARD SIDE OF OF THE FRONT CONDITIONS LOOK FAVORABLE FOR AT  
LEAST SOME LIGHT SNOW. ENSEMBLE GUIDANCE OVERWHELMINGLY FAVORS  
SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN THE MTNS. CLOSER TO THE COAST AND ACROSS  
SOUTHERN NH THE ENSEMBLE MEMBERS ARE SPLIT CLOSER TO 50/50...AND  
SOME OF THOSE SNOW MEMBERS TRANSITION TO RAIN AS WELL. HOWEVER  
THIS TYPE OF EVENT WILL BE THREADING A NEEDLE...AND SMALL MOVES  
IN SYNOPTIC FEATURES CAN LEAD TO LARGE CHANGES IN SENSIBLE  
WEATHER AT THE SURFACE. SO ANY FORECAST IS FAIRLY LOW CONFIDENCE  
AT THIS POINT.  
 
THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE AS MODEL GUIDANCE HAS BEEN TRENDING AWAY  
FROM A LARGER PHASED STORM SYSTEM AND TOWARDS TWO SEPARATE  
EVENTS INCLUDING THIS EARLY THU EVENT AND ANOTHER SAT.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /20Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/  
 
SHORT TERM...VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL THROUGH MOST OF TONIGHT,  
WITH MVFR CEILINGS ARRIVING TOMORROW MORNING. VFR CEILINGS  
LIKELY RETURN FOR A PERIOD TO NORTHERN TERMINALS TOMORROW  
AFTERNOON, WITH MVFR AND IFR CEILINGS ARRIVING THROUGH MONDAY  
EVENING. IFR TO LIFR CEILINGS AND RAIN ARE EXPECTED TOMORROW  
NIGHT, WITH VFR RETURNING TUESDAY MORNING TOWARD DAYBREAK.  
SOUTHERLY WIND GUSTS OF AROUND 25-30KT ARE LIKELY ALONG COASTAL  
TERMINALS TOMORROW NIGHT.  
 
LONG TERM...WIDESPREAD IFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS CONTINUE AHEAD OF  
THE COLD FRONT EARLY TUE. BY THIS TIME ALL PRECIP SHOULD BE RA.  
LLWS IS POSSIBLE FOR COASTAL TERMINALS. ONCE THE FRONT CROSSES  
CONDITIONS WILL QUICKLY IMPROVE TO VFR AND LLWS WILL COME TO AN  
END. UPSLOPE MVFR CIGS MAY LINGER AROUND HIE INTO THE AFTERNOON.  
THERE WILL BE ADDITIONAL CHANCES FOR PRECIP TO END THE  
WEEK...AS EARLY AS THU. AREAS OF IFR CONDITIONS ARE  
POSSIBLE...BUT PRECIP TYPE IS LOW CONFIDENCE AT THIS RANGE.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
SHORT TERM...HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO MOVE EAST OF THE  
WATERS, WITH A WEAK WARM FRONT PASSING THROUGH OVERNIGHT. A COLD  
FRONT THEN APPROACHES FROM THE WEST TOMORROW, AND CROSSES THE  
WATERS LATE TOMORROW NIGHT. A PERIOD OF SCA CONDITIONS ARE  
LIKELY TOMORROW NIGHT WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS, AND SOME LOW END  
GALES ARE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE EASTERN WATERS. WINDS  
THEN SHIFT TO WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY BY DAYBREAK ON TUESDAY WITH THE  
PASSAGE OF THE FRONT.  
 
LONG TERM...EARLY TUE A LLJ WILL BE LIFTING ACROSS THE WATERS  
AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING COLD FRONT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE  
THAT THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR 35 KT GUSTS TO MIX DOWN OUTSIDE  
OF THE BAYS. IT WILL BE A BRIEF WINDOW...AROUND 3 HR...BUT GALE  
CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE. WINDS AND SEAS DIMINISH BUT SCA  
CONDITIONS LINGER INTO EARLY WED. WINDS AND SEAS WILL REMAIN  
NEAR MARGINAL SCA CONDITIONS THRU THE END OF THE WEEK AS A  
SERIES OF SYSTEM APPROACH AND PASS NEAR THE GULF OF ME.  
 
 
   
GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
ME...NONE.  
NH...NONE.  
MARINE...NONE.  
 
 
 
 
 
NEAR TERM...CLAIR  
SHORT TERM...CLAIR  
LONG TERM...LEGRO  
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