445  
FXUS61 KGYX 170824  
AFDGYX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME  
324 AM EST TUE DEC 17 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
A FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH THIS MORNING BRINGING AN END TO  
PRECIPITATION FOR EVERYWHERE BUT THE MOUNTAINS. HIGHS PRESSURE  
MOVES SOUTH OF THE AREA LATER TODAY INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. A  
THERE IS ANOTHER CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION, WITH ACCUMULATING  
SNOW EXPECTED AT LEAST IN THE MOUNTAINS. A VERY COLD AIR MASS  
MOVES IN FOR FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/
 
 
FAST MOVING WAVE TRACKING ENE ACROSS THE INTL BORDER ATTM, WITH  
TRIPLE POINT CROSSING THE CWA AS WELL. THE BULK OF OUT PRECIP IS  
FALLING IN A BAND RAIN CROSSING THE CWA NOW, WITH SOME LINGERING  
SHRA FOR A FEW HOURS BEHIND THIS BAND. THERE ARE STILL A FEW  
HIGHLY LOCALIZED AREAS THAT ARE HOVERING AROUND 32F, BUT MOST OF  
THE MORE SHELTERED AREAS HAVE PUSHED UP INTO THE MID TO UPPER  
30S, THANKS TO THE RAIN MIXING SOWN SOME WARMER AIR. SO, WILL  
CANCEL THE ADVISORY BECAUSE THE TREND WILL BE UPWARD TODAY, ONCE  
THE WE BRIEFLY GET INTO THE WARM SECTOR AND WINDS SHIFT SW. I  
THINK THE SHOWERS CLEAR MUCH OF THE CWA BY 13-14Z, EXCEPT MAYBE  
THE FAR E ZONES AND THE MTNS, WHICH WILL BE IN THE OCCLUSION  
UNTIL THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH LATER THIS MORNING. S OF THE  
MTNS SKIES SHOULD START TO CLEAR LATE THIS MORNING WITH PARTLY  
SUNNY SKIES EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENTUALLY MAINLY CLEAR  
SKIES LATER IN THE DAY, HIGHS RANGE FROM THE LOW TO MID 40S IN  
THE S TO THE LOW TO MID 50S IN THE SOUTH, SO QUITE MILD FOR  
DECEMBER.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT/
 
 
AT LEAST LIGHT W FLOW WILL PERSIST TONIGHT, WHICH WILL PREVENT  
TEMPS FORM FALLING TOO MUCH, ALONG WITH LINGERING CLOUDS IN THE  
MTNS. LOWS RANGE FROM THE UPPER 20S N TO THE LOW 30S IN THE S  
AS WEAK SFC RIDGE PASSES TO OUR S.  
 
THE SFC RIDGE SHOULD HOLD THROUGH WED MORNING, BUT CLOUDS AND  
EVENTUALLY PRECIP WILL OVERSPREAD THE CWA FROM THE W DURING THE  
MID TO LATE AFTERNOON. HIGHS WILL BE LIMITED BY THE CLOUDS AND  
WILL RANGE FROM THE MID 30S IN THE N TO LOW TO MID 40S IN THE S.  
P-TYPE AT THE START COULD BE EITHER RA OR SN IN THE MTNS, BUT  
SHOULD GO OVER TO SNOW QUICKLY THANKS TO WET BULB EFFECT. IN THE  
S, IT LIKELY STARTS AS RAIN, AND STAYS THAT WAY INTO THE  
EVENING. INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE SYSTEM, IS THAT IT LOOKS  
RATHER WEAK FROM A SYNOPTIC PERSPECTIVE, WITH WEAKER AND FAST  
MOVING WAVE AT 500 MB, BUT IT GETS QUITE A KICK FROM BEING  
BENEATH RIGHT ENTRY REGION OF STRENGTHENING JET IN THE 200-300  
MB LAYER, PRODUCING STRONG UVV THAT CROSSES THE CWA MAINLY WED  
EVENING AND EXITING THE AREA SHORTLY AFTER MIDNIGHT. IN THE N  
THIS WILL A QUICK BURST OF SNOW BUT COULD SEE ADVISORY LEVELS IN  
THIS SHORT WINDOW. IN SE NH AND ALONG THE IMMEDIATE IT WILL  
LIKELY BE ALL RAIN. THE QUESTION AT THIS PINT IS HOW MUCH DO THE  
JET DYNAMICS AFFECT THE COLD AIR AT LOWER LEVELS AND CAN THEY  
PULL COLD AIR TOWARD THE COAST PRODUCING A FEW INCHES OF SNOW  
INTO THE I INTERIOR PARTS OF THE COASTAL COUNTIES, OR DOES THE  
BULK OF THE SNOW STAY AROUND OR N OF A KCON-KLEW-KAUG LINE?  
WHATEVER HAPPENS IT’LL ALL BE OVER BEFORE THE THU MORNING  
COMMUTE.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
05Z LONG TERM FORECAST UPDATE... LITTLE CHANGE IN THE LATEST  
ENSEMBLE AND DETERMINISTIC GUIDANCE FOR A MID-WEEK QUICK HITTING  
SHOT OF PRECIPITATION ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS COULD BRING A  
COUPLE INCHES OF SNOW FOR AREAS AWAY FROM THE COAST WITH A  
RAIN/SNOW MIX ALONG THE COAST. BEHIND THIS SYSTEM COOLER  
TEMPERATURES WILL PREVAIL ALONG WITH PERHAPS SOME SNOW SHOWERS  
AT TIMES.  
 
PREVIOUSLY...  
OVERVIEW...  
 
AN ACTIVE PATTERN CONTINUES THROUGH THE MIDDLE AND LATER PORTIONS OF  
THE WORK WEEK WITH MULTIPLE CHANCES FOR RAIN OR SNOW. COLD WEATHER  
RETURNS FOR THE END OF THE WEEK AND NEXT WEEKEND AS A TROUGH DEEPENS  
ACROSS THE NORTHEAST.  
 
DETAILS...  
 
MILD WEATHER PRECEDES A SYSTEM ON WEDNESDAY WITH HIGHS MAINLY  
IN THE 40S OUTSIDE OF THE HIGHER TERRAIN. A SHORTWAVE SWINGS  
THROUGH THE OHIO VALLEY AND BY WEDNESDAY LOW PRESSURE DEEPENS AS  
IT LIKELY TRACKS ACROSS OR JUST SOUTH OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND.  
WITH A LACK OF COLD AIR IN PLACE, A RAIN/SNOW LINE IS EXPECTED  
TO SET UP ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND INTO  
EARLY THURSDAY. INTERIOR AND NORTHERN AREAS STAND THE BEST  
CHANCE TO PICK UP A LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL, WHILE THE COAST  
AND SOUTHERN NH LOOKS TO BE MOSTLY RAIN AT THIS POINT. THE  
SYSTEM MOVES AWAY THURSDAY MORNING, WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM NEAR  
30 ACROSS THE NORTH, TO THE MID 40S ALONG THE COAST.  
 
SEASONABLY COOL AIR RETURNS FOR FRIDAY, WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE  
LOW 20S ACROSS THE NORTH, TO THE MID 30S ALONG THE COASTLINE. WITH  
COLD AIR IN PLACE, WE THEN WATCH THE NEXT POTENTIAL SYSTEM FOR  
LATE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT.  
 
MODELS CONTINUE TO DIVERGE GREATLY ON THIS SYSTEM FROM RUN TO RUN,  
AND SOMEWHAT BETWEEN DIFFERENT MODEL SUITES. THE OVERALL SET UP  
FEATURES AN ALBERTA CLIPPER MOVING EASTWARD THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES,  
AS RICH MOISTURE MOVES NORTHWARD OFF THE EAST COAST. THE  
DISCREPANCY CONTINUES TO BE WHETHER OR NOT THESE TWO FEATURES  
PHASE IN TIME TO BRING A SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO THE AREA. AT  
THIS POINT THE MODELS ARE SUGGESTING THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN  
TIME, WITH ATLANTIC CANADA SEEING THE BRUNT OF A POWERFUL LOW  
PRESSURE SYSTEM. HOWEVER, THIS DOESN'T MEAN IT SHOULD BE RULED  
OUT YET, AS WE'RE STILL ABOUT 5 DAYS OUT. IT WOULD ONLY TAKE A  
SLIGHTLY MORE AMPLIFIED SHORTWAVE TO PHASE SOONER AND BRING A  
MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO THE AREA. ONE MODEL THAT DOES SHOW  
THIS HAPPENING A LITTLE SOONER AND BRINGING SNOW IT AT LEAST  
EASTERN AREAS IS THE NEW EURO AIFS MODEL. IT'S STILL TOO EARLY  
TO KNOW IF THIS IS JUST AN OUTLIER, OR THE START OF A TREND, BUT  
WE'LL NEED TO CONTINUE TO WATCH THIS SYSTEM FOR A COUPLE MORE  
DAYS BEFORE A HIGHER CONFIDENCE OUTCOME CAN BE REACHED.  
 
REGARDLESS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COASTAL LOW, AT LEAST SOME SNOW  
SHOWER ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE LATE FRIDAY AS THE CLIPPER MOVES THROUGH  
NEW ENGLAND. BEHIND THIS SYSTEM, ARCTIC AIR POURS INTO NEW ENGLAND  
FOR NEXT WEEKEND, BRINGING THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE SEASON SO  
FAR. HIGHS IN THE TEENS AND 20S WITH LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO  
BELOW ZERO LOOK INCREASINGLY LIKELY. IF THERE DOES END UP BEING A  
MORE WIDESPREAD SNOW COVER THESE TEMPERATURES WOULD GO EVEN LOWER,  
SO THIS IS ONE MORE REASON TO KEEP MONITORING THE FRIDAY SYSTEM.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /08Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
SHORT TERM...IFR-LIFR WILL LIKELY LINGER AT MOST TERMINALS UNTIL  
13-14Z, BUT SHOULD SEE IMPROVEMENT TO MVFR THROUGH THE MORNING  
AND VFR BY AFTERNOON, WHICH WILL PERSIST THROUGH WED MIDDAY AT  
LEAST. WILL START TO SEE FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS RETURN IN RA/SN  
SOMETIME WED AFTERNOON.  
 
LONG TERM...VFR CONDITIONS ON WEDNESDAY GIVE WAY TO IFR TO LIFR  
AND RESTRICTIONS WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH RAIN SOUTH AND SNOW  
NORTH. MVFR TO VFR RETURNS FOR THURSDAY AND INTO FRIDAY.  
CONDITIONS THEN BECOME DEPENDENT ON THE TRACK OF A STORM FOR  
LATE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT, WITH COASTAL TERMINALS SEEING THE  
GREATEST CHANCE FOR RESTRICTIONS. VFR THEN LIKELY RETURNS FOR  
NEXT WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
SHORT TERM...THE STRONGEST S FLOW SHOULD BE PICKING UP SHORTLY  
AND LINGER INTO MID MORNING BEFORE FLOW SHIFTS SW, AND AT LEAST  
THE GUSTS START TO DIMINISH, THEN A COLD FRONT CROSSES THIS  
AFTERNOON AND WINDS SHIFT TO W, BUT ARE EXPECTED TO HOLD WITH  
GUTS 25-30 KTS THROUGH THIS EVENING BEFORE THEY START TO SUBSIDE  
AFTER MIDNIGHT. CONDS EXPECTED TO STAY SUB-SCA ON WED INTO WED  
NIGHT.  
 
LONG TERM...LOW PRESSURE CROSSES THE WATERS WEDNESDAY NIGHT,  
WITH WESTERLY WINDS POSSIBLY BRINGING SCA CONDITIONS BEHIND THE  
SYSTEM ON THURSDAY. CONDITIONS THEN BECOME DEPENDENT ON THE  
TRACK OF A DEVELOPING COASTAL LOW LATE FRIDAY. NORTHERLY GALES  
AND ARCTIC SEA SMOKE ARE THEN POSSIBLE OVER THE WEEKEND.  
 

 
   
GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ME...NONE.  
NH...NONE.  
MARINE...GALE WARNING UNTIL 11 AM EST THIS MORNING FOR ANZ150-152.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR ANZ151-  
153-154.  
 

 
 

 
 
NEAR TERM...CEMPA  
SHORT TERM...CEMPA  
LONG TERM...CLAIR/TUBBS  
 
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