704  
FXUS61 KGYX 191125  
AFDGYX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME  
625 AM EST THU DEC 19 2024  
   
SYNOPSIS  
 
COOLER AIR COMES IN BEHIND EXITING LOW PRESSURE WITH UPSLOPE  
SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS. A WEAK CLIPPER PASSES THROUGH  
FRIDAY NIGHT, WITH VERY COLD AIR MOVING INTO NEW ENGLAND FOR  
THE WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH IT WILL GRADUALLY MODERATE TO NEAR NORMAL  
BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK, AS STRONG HIGH PRESSURE SETTLES OVER  
THE REGION.  
 
 
   
NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 PM THIS EVENING/  
 
625 AM...SYNOPTIC HAS COMPLETELY EXITED THE CWA, AND WE ARE LEFT  
WITH SOME UPSLOPE SHSN. THIS WILL LIKELY FLARE UP AND DOWN  
THROUGH THE DAY, BUT SHOULD DIMINISH LATE IN THE DAY. I MODIFIED  
SKY A LITTLE BIT THIS MORNING, AND THEN JUST ADJUSTED T/TD BASED  
ON CURRENT OBS.  
 
PREVIOUSLY...BACK EDGE OF PRECIP FROM THE DOUBLE BARRELED SFC  
LOW WILL CONTINUE TO SHE SE OUT OF THE CWA BY 10Z. TEMPS ARE  
COOLING A BIT BUT CAN;T SEE ANYPLACE THAT’S BEEN ALL RAIN UP TO  
THIS POINT SEEING ANYTHING MORE THAN FEW SNOW FLAKES MIXING IN  
AT THE END. AS WINDS SHIFT TO THE W EARLY THIS MORNING, AND  
EVENTUALLY NW LATER THIS MORNING,, SILL SEE UPSLOPE SHSN START  
TO DEVELOP AS WELL AS DOWNSLOPE CLEARING, WHICH SHOULD HAPPEN  
AROUND OR SHORTLY AFTER SUNRISE. OTHERWISE THAT WILL BE THE  
TREND FOR TODAY DOWNSLOPE CLEARING AND UPSLOPE SHSN AND CLOUDS  
IN THE MTNS. THE MTNS WON'T SEE MUCH IN THE WAY ANY TEMP  
INCREASE TODAY AS THE CAA AND THE CLOUDS COMBINE TO KEEP THE  
TEMPS DOWN, AND HIGHS HERE WILL BE AROUND 30, AND THAT WILL  
LIKELY BE THIS MORNING. IN THE DOWNSLOPE S AND E OF THE MYS LOOK  
FOR HIGHS IN THE UPPER TO LOW 40S, WHICH STILL ISN'T A GREAT  
INCREASE OVER CURRENT TEMPS. BREEZY NW FLOW FLOW IS EXPECTED BUT  
GUSTS WILL BE LIMITED TO 20-25 MPH.  
 
 
   
SHORT TERM /6 PM THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 PM FRIDAY/  
 
SFC HIGH PASSES TO THE N TONIGHT, AND ALTHOUGH THE EVENING WILL  
SEE LIGHT NNW FLOW, SHOULD BE SOME LATE DECOUPLING. THIS WILL  
BE LIMITED BY CIRRUS IN THE S, BUT IF IT CLEARS OUT ENOUGH SOME  
OF THE MTN VALLEYS WILL LIKELY SEE MINS FROM 5-10 ABOVE, WHILE  
TO THE S LOOK FOR LOWS IN THE UPPER TEENS TO LOW 20S.  
 
LOW PRESSURE BEGINS TO DEVELOP OFF THE N CAROLINA COAST FRIDAY  
MORNING AND TRACKS NE TO S OF NS BY FRI EVENING. THIS SYSTEM  
DEVELOPS IN THE DOWNSTREAM FLOW ON THE E SIDE OF A LARGE 50 MB  
TROUGH THAT EXTENDS FROM JAMES BAY TO THE GREAT LAKES. THE  
FORECAST QUESTION IS HOW WELL DO THESE TWO SYSTEMS INTERACT  
FRIDAY AFTERNOON INTO FRIDAY EVENING, AND WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO  
PRODUCE SOME LIGHT SN CLOSE TO THE COAST, OR JUST SOME SHSN.  
THERE’S AN OUTSIDE CHC FOR SOME VERY LIGHT SNOW ACCUMS IN THIS  
PERIOD. OTHERWISE, ANY SUN FRIDAY MORNING WILL FADE BEHIND  
CLOUDS BY THE AFTERNOON WITH HIGHS RANGING FROM THE LOW 20S IN  
THE MTNS TO AROUND 30 IN THE S.  
 
 
   
LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/  
 
UPDATE...SNOW SHOWERS STILL POSSIBLE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT  
WITH UPPER TROUGH BUT IT STILL LOOKS LIKE ORGANIZED  
PRECIPITATION WITH DEVELOPING LOW REMAINS OFFSHORE. COLD TEMPS  
CONTINUE TO BE THE MAIN THEME IN THE LONG TERM.  
 
PREVIOUSLY...  
 
IMPACTS:  
 
- SOME OF THE COLDEST AIR OF THE CALENDAR YEAR OF 2024 WILL  
BRING SUB-ZERO WIND CHILL READINGS, ESPECIALLY ON SATURDAY  
NIGHT TO THE MAJORITY OF THE REGION.  
- LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY  
- VERY LOW CONFIDENCE FOR LIGHT SNOW ON CHRISTMAS EVE  
 
OVERVIEW: NORTHEAST CONUS WILL BE UNDER A LONGWAVE TROUGH FRIDAY  
THROUGH MONDAY NEXT WEEK BRINGING WELL BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES  
THIS WEEKEND. 500MB HEIGHTS INCREASE TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY  
NEXT WEEK WITH A RETURN TO ZONAL FLOW. OVERALL FORECAST  
CONFIDENCE OF PATTERN EVOLUTION IS ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH MONDAY  
BEFORE SPREAD INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY BY CHRISTMAS.  
 
FORECAST DETAILS: STRONG CAA ON SATURDAY AS A ARCTIC SHOT OF  
AIR MOVES INTO NEW ENGLAND, THIS WILL BRING WIND CHILL VALUES  
IN THE SUB-ZERO READINGS FROM SATURDAY EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY  
MORNING FOR MOST AREAS, WITH A VERY COLD WEEKEND EXPECTED AT THE  
SKI RESORTS. SNOW SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL PEAK IN THE MOUNTAINS ON  
NW FLOW ON SATURDAY BEFORE ENDING BY SUNDAY MORNING. HIGH  
PRESSURE CRESTS OVER THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT WITH A POSSIBLE  
OPTIMAL RADIATIONAL COOLING NIGHT, THE QUESTION WILL BE, HOW LOW  
WILL IT GO IN REGARDS TO TEMPERATURES. SOME COLD SPOTS COULD  
REACH -15F WITH CLOSE TO ZERO FOR MOST AREAS. TEMPERATURES WILL  
BEGIN TO MODERATE ON MONDAY AS FLOW BECOMES MORE ZONAL.  
FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS VERY LOW FOR SENSIBLE WEATHER NEXT WEEK  
WITH A WEAK WAVE COMING ACROSS THE UPPER PLAINS THAT THE MODELS  
AREN'T SURE TO DO WITH. DIFFICULT TO LATCH ONTO ANYTHING AT THIS  
POINT, SO STUCK CLOSE WITH THE NBM, BUT A PERIOD OF SNOW CAN'T  
COMPLETELY BE RULES AT BEFORE CHRISTMAS FOR COASTAL AREAS.  
 
 
   
AVIATION /11Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/  
 
SHORT TERM...ALL TERMINALS, EXCEPT KHIE, SHOULD IMPROVE TO VFR  
BY 09-10Z, AND SHOULD EXPECT VFR THROUGH TONIGHT AND INTO FRIDAY  
MORNING. KHIE WILL LIKELY BE STUCK MAINLY AT MVFR WITH SOME  
SHSN ALTHOUGH SHOULD IMPROVE TO VFR LATER IN THE DAY. FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON, A COASTAL STORM PASSING OFF SHORE COULD BRING SOME  
LIGHT SN TO COASTAL TERMINALS AS WELL AS KMHT/KCON, ALTHOUGH  
THIS WILL TEND MORE TOWARD MVFR THAN IFR.  
 
LONG TERM...MVFR CIGS AND VISIBILITY COULD POSSIBLE RETURN ON  
FRIDAY DUE TO SOME LIGHT SHOWER ACTIVITY, BUT OVERALL AVIATION  
IMPACTS WILL BE LIMITED. WILL HAVE TO WATCH PORTSMOUTH DUE TO  
THE POTENTIAL OF SOME LOCAL OCEAN ENHANCEMENT SNOW FRIDAY  
AFTERNOON BUT A LOW PROBABILITY OUTCOME AT THIS TIME. COLD AND  
WINDY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEKEND, WITH SNOW SHOWERS  
IMPACTING WHITEFIELD ON SATURDAY.  
 
 
   
MARINE  
 
SHORT TERM...WNW WINDS WILL PICK THIS MORNING, WITH SCA GUSTS  
EXPECTED THROUGH THE DAYLIGHT, BUT WINDS SHOULD DIMINISH AFTER  
SUNSET, WITH SUB-SCA CONDS THROUGH MUCH OF FRI. BUT COULD SEE  
ANOTHER ROUND OF GUSTY NW WINDS APPROACHING SCA LEVELS FRI  
NIGHT.  
 
LONG TERM...A DEVELOPING SURFACE LOW FRIDAY WILL STAY  
WELL OFFSHORE BEFORE DEEPENING OVER THE CANADIAN MARITIMES THIS  
WEEKEND. THIS WILL BRING SCA CONDITIONS TO THE WATERS ONCE AGAIN  
AS A COLD FRONT AND ARCTIC SHOT OF AIR PUSH THROUGH THE AREA.  
THIS WILL BE THE COLDEST AIRMASS OF THE SEASON THUS FAR.  
 
 
   
GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES  
 
ME...NONE.  
NH...NONE.  
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 7 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR  
ANZ150>154.  
 
 
 
 
 
SYNOPSIS...  
NEAR TERM...CEMPA  
SHORT TERM...CEMPA  
LONG TERM...DUMONT/EKSTER  
AVIATION...  
MARINE...  
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