386  
FXUS61 KGYX 180606  
AFDGYX  
 
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME  
106 AM EST THU DEC 18 2025  
   
SYNOPSIS
 
 
AS HIGH PRESSURE DRIFTS OFF THE NORTHEAST COAST TODAY SOUTHERLY  
WINDS WILL BEGIN TO INCREASE AHEAD OF AN APPROACHING STORM.  
WHILE THE STORM DRIVES A STRONG COLD FRONT TOWARDS THE REGION,  
THOSE SOUTHERLY GUSTS BY FRIDAY WILL TOP 40 TO 50 MPH OR MORE AT  
TIMES, ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COAST. THIS WILL ALSO SEND  
TEMPERATURES CLIMBING THROUGH THE 40S INTO THE 50S IN PLACES.  
AFTER MAYBE A BRIEF START AS SNOW IN THE HIGHEST ELEVATIONS, ALL  
RAIN IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA. SNOW MELT IS UNLIKELY TO  
CAUSE FLOODING, BUT SOME AREAS MAY LOSE ALL THE CURRENT  
SNOWPACK. AS THE FRONT CROSSES THE AREA TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN  
A STEADY DECLINE INTO THE 20S BY SATURDAY MORNING. A WEAK SYSTEM  
WILL CROSS NORTH OF THE AREA SATURDAY NIGHT, BUT ONLY LIGHT  
SNOW OR SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED. ANOTHER CLIPPER IS THEN  
POSSIBLE BY LATE TUESDAY.  
 

 
   
NEAR TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/
 
 
A WEAK SFC COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO CROSS THE REGION THROUGH  
EARLY THIS MORNING WITH SFC HIGH PRESSURE LOCATED OVER SOUTHEASTERN  
NEW ENGLAND. THIS AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO DRIFT OFFSHORE  
LATER TODAY AHEAD OF OUR NEXT STORM SYSTEM, WHICH WILL BE MOVING  
ACROSS THE UPPER MID-WEST. IT WILL BE ANOTHER DRY WITH WITH PARTLY  
CLOUDY SKIES AND HIGH TEMPERATURES MAINLY INTO THE 40S.  
 

 
   
SHORT TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/
 
 
KEY MESSAGES:  
 
-TRANQUIL WEATHER THROUGH TODAY WITH LITTLE TO NO WEATHER RELATED  
IMPACTS.  
 
-RAIN WITH STRONG TO POSSIBLY LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS LATE TONIGHT  
THROUGH FRIDAY.  
 
-MINOR NUISANCE FLOODING POSSIBLE ALONG WITH RIVER RISES AND  
RIVER ICE BREAKUP.  
 
DISCUSSION:  
 
CLOUDS WILL INCREASE THIS EVENING WITH WIDESPREAD RAIN MOVING IN  
AFTER MIDNIGHT AS THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW MOVES OVER QUEBEC AND SENDS  
A SFC WARM FRONT NORTHWARD ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. TEMPERATURES WILL  
INITIALLY COOL TO NEAR THE FREEZING MARK IN MANY LOCATIONS AWAY FROM  
THE IMMEDIATE COAST BUT THEN RISE OVERNIGHT AS SOUTHERLY WINDS  
INCREASE. TEMPERATURES BY FRIDAY MORNING SHOULD BE INTO THE 40S TO  
LOWER 50S. PERIODS OF MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL THEN  
PERSIST THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY WITH TEMPERATURES WARMING INTO THE  
LOWER TO MIDDLE 50S FOR MOST LOCATIONS. RAIN WILL END FROM WEST TO  
EAST FRIDAY EVENING BEHIND A TRAILING COLD FRONT WITH TEMPERATURES  
FALLING SHARPLY BEHIND DEVELOPING WESTERLY FLOW. LATEST  
ENSEMBLE MEAN QPF HAS NOT CHANGED TOO MUCH WITH MOST LOCATIONS  
AVERAGING BETWEEN 0.50"-1.00" BUT HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE LIKELY IN  
THE SOUTH FACING TERRAIN WITH UPWARDS OF 2.00" OF QPF POSSIBLE.  
THIS RAIN COMBINED WITH ANTICIPATED SNOW MELT WILL LIKELY RESULT  
IN RIVER RISES AND PERHAPS SOME ICE BREAKUP BUT OTHER THAN SOME  
MINOR NUISANCE FLOODING FROM CLOGGED STORM DRAINS/LOW SPOTS, NO  
SIGNIFICANT FLOODING IS EXPECTED.  
 
STRONG TO PERHAPS LOCALLY DAMAGING WINDS CONTINUES TO BE THE MAIN  
THING TO WATCH WITH THIS SYSTEM AS A STOUT S-SE LLJ ARRIVES NEAR THE  
TRIPLE POINT. WIDESPREAD WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 45-50 MPH ARE  
EXPECTED SOUTH OF THE MOUNTAINS WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH ACROSS  
PORTIONS OF THE MID-COAST ON FRIDAY. A WIND ADVISORY HAS BEEN  
ISSUED FOR THESE LOCATIONS. WINDS WILL BECOME WESTERLY BEHIND  
THE COLD FRONT FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 35  
MPH LIKELY.  
 

 
   
LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/
 
 
KEY MESSAGE: NEAR NORMAL TEMPS THRU THE EXTENDED WITH FREQUENT  
CHANCES FOR PRECIP. AT THIS TIME HOWEVER ANY PRECIP AMOUNTS  
LOOK LIGHT.  
 
IMPACTS: THERE ARE A COUPLE OF CHANCES FOR LIGHT SNOW. ONE  
MAINLY OVERNIGHT ON THE WEEKEND AND NOT A SIGNIFICANT  
IMPACT...BUT ANOTHER NEAR CHRISTMAS EVE MIGHT BE ENOUGH TO CAUSE  
SOME TRAVEL DELAYS.  
 
FORECAST DETAILS: LARGELY STICKING CLOSE THE LATEST NBM  
GUIDANCE WITH THE ENSEMBLE FORECASTS SHOWING LOW CHANCES OF  
ANOMALOUS WEATHER.  
 
A SHORTWAVE TROF WILL CROSS THE NORTHERN TIER SAT  
NIGHT...TAKING AN ALBERTA CLIPPER-LIKE TRACK. AT THIS TIME IT  
LOOKS A LITTLE TOO FAR NORTH TO BRING APPRECIABLE CHANCES FOR  
SNOWFALL FOR ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA. THERE WILL BE DRY AIR TO  
CONTEND WITH ALONG WITH THE BEST LIFT REMAINING NORTH...SO AT  
THIS TIME LIKELY POP REMAINS IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN ONLY.  
 
BEHIND THAT SYSTEM IT DOES LOOK LIKE WINDS MAY BE BREEZY BOTH  
SUN AND MON AS COLDER AIR POURS INTO THE REGION. IT WILL BE  
ENOUGH OF A BREEZE TO MAKE TEMPS FEEL COLDER THAN THEY  
ARE...ESPECIALLY BY MON WHEN MOST OF THE AREA REMAINS IN THE  
TEENS AND 20S.  
 
THE NEXT PERIOD TO WATCH WILL BE TOWARDS CHRISTMAS EVE...WHEN  
ANOTHER SHORTWAVE APPROACHES THE REGION. SIMILAR TO OUR WEEKEND  
SYSTEM...BUT PASSING A LITTLE FARTHER SOUTH ON AVERAGE AND WITH  
BETTER BOUNDARY LAYER SATURATION. THE RESULT IS A MORE  
WIDESPREAD LIGHT SNOWFALL. IF WE CAN AMPLIFY THE DOWNSTREAM  
RIDGING A LITTLE MORE THRU THE CANADIAN MARITIMES I COULD ALSO  
SEE A LOW-END ADVISORY TYPE SCENARIO.  
 

 
   
AVIATION /06Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/
 
 
SHORT TERM...SKC THROUGH EARLY MORNING. WHILE OVERNIGHT SKIES  
ARE CLEAR, COULD SEE SOME LOW STRATUS UNDULATE ACROSS THE  
GREENS/CT VALLEY AROUND SUNRISE. THIS COULD IMPACT LEB/CON  
BEFORE NOONTIME THURS. CIRRUS OTHERWISE FOR THE AFTERNOON. HREF  
PROBABILITIES SUGGEST A RAPID THICKENING AND LOWERING OF CLOUD  
BASE LATE AFTERNOON, PERHAPS QUICKLY MVFR TO IFR BY EVENING FOR  
ALL TERMINALS SOUTH AND EAST OF THE HIGHER TERRAIN. WARM AIR  
MOVING OVER SNOWPACK MAY ALSO INDUCE GROUND FOG, REDUCING VIS  
AFTER 00Z. EXPECT EVENING ONSET OF LLWS AS WELL ACROSS THE AREA.  
SOUTHERLY WINDS AND GUSTS INCREASE OVERNIGHT AND THROUGH FRIDAY  
WITH COASTAL GUSTS INCREASING 30-45KTS. INTERIOR GUSTS LOWER AND  
LESS FREQUENT. CONVECTIVE LINE OF SHOWERS EMBEDDED IN WIDESPREAD  
RA MAY BRING TEMPO STRONGER GUSTS ACROSS THE AREA FRI AFTERNOON.  
MAY SEE SOME DOWNSLOPE GUSTS AT HIE EXCEEDING 35 KTS. HARD WIND  
SHIFT W FRIDAY EVENING WITH GUSTS REMAINING 25-30 KT OVERNIGHT  
INTO SATURDAY.  
 
LONG TERM...MAINLY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED IN THE EXTENDED.  
THERE WILL BE TWO PERIODS OF POTENTIAL LIGHT SNOW WHERE AREAS OF  
IFR OR LOWER CONDITIONS COULD BE POSSIBLE. THE FIRST EVENT SAT  
NIGHT LOOKS TO STAY FARTHER NORTH AND LARGELY MISSES THE TAF  
SITES...AND AT THIS TIME MAYBE SOME BRIEF MVFR CIGS ARE  
POSSIBLE. THE SECOND COMES CLOSER TO MIDWEEK AND HAS A BETTER  
CHANCE TO BRING MORE COVERAGE OF IFR CONDITIONS TO THE TAF  
SITES...THOUGH CONFIDENCE REMAINS LOW.  
 

 
   
MARINE
 
 
SHORT TERM...SCA CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH EARLY THIS  
MORNING BEFORE BECOMING LIGHTER LATER TODAY. S WINDS INCREASE  
TONIGHT INTO FRI WITH GALE FORCE GUSTS EXPECTED AND STORM FORCE  
GUSTS ACROSS THE OUTER EASTERN WATERS. SEAS WILL BUILD TO 10-15  
FT OUTSIDE OF THE BAYS WITH 3-6 FT IN THE BAYS THEMSELVES.  
 
LONG TERM...SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE BEHIND A WARM FRONT  
SAT NIGHT AND SCA CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY OUTSIDE OF THE BAYS. AS  
COLD ADVECTION BEGINS BEHIND THE SYSTEM THERE IS A CHANCE FOR  
SOME MARGINAL GALE FORCE GUSTS ON THE OUTER WATERS. OTHERWISE  
SCA CONDITIONS LINGER INTO MON NIGHT OR EARLY TUE. ONLY A BRIEF  
BREAK IS ANTICIPATED BEFORE THE NEXT SYSTEM BRINGS SCA  
CONDITIONS BACK TO THE WATERS.  
 

 
   
GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
 
 
ME...WIND ADVISORY FROM 8 AM TO 7 PM EST FRIDAY FOR MEZ012>014-  
018>028-033.  
NH...WIND ADVISORY FROM 8 AM TO 7 PM EST FRIDAY FOR NHZ006-008>010-  
012>015.  
MARINE...GALE WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT FOR ANZ150>152-154.  
STORM WARNING FROM 8 AM TO 7 PM EST FRIDAY FOR ANZ150.  
GALE WARNING FROM 1 AM FRIDAY TO 7 AM EST SATURDAY FOR  
ANZ151>154.  
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL MIDNIGHT EST TONIGHT FOR ANZ153.  
 

 
 

 
 
NEAR TERM...TUBBS  
SHORT TERM...TUBBS  
LONG TERM...LEGRO  
AVIATION...LEGRO/CORNWELL  
MARINE...LEGRO/TUBBS  
 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.

The Nexlab ME Page
The Nexlab NH Page Main Text Page