Weekend weather for Maine unsettled at times as humidity returns

High pressure gives the region one more dry day for Thursday. As it moves east, outflow ahead of a warm front approaches from the southwest to bring widespread showers to the state on Friday. Humidity slowly builds on Saturday and is likely to be noticeable by Sunday. The return of the muggy conditions brings a chance for showers both days, and a threat of the thunderstorm Sunday. A cold front works into the area Sunday afternoon into Monday, bringing showers and thunderstorms to start the work week.

In a nutshell, keep your umbrella handy anywhere in the state this weekend, and beware of thunder when engaged in outdoor activities.

This snapshot taken on Wednesday afternoon shows all the atmospheric players on the screen for the region’s weather through the beginning of the week. High pressure over Hudson Bay that cleared the humidity from earlier this week moves eastward. Low pressure over the Canadian Prairies heads to St. James Bay, while it drags up a warm front from the southwest. That area of low pressure intensifies and pushes the warm front through Friday night into early Saturday.

After the frontal passage, humidity builds Saturday into Sunday. The trailing system dives from the Pacific northwest and arrives over Lake Superior on Sunday. New low pressure forms as the low over the Great Lakes siphons off energy from low over Western Quebec and intensifies. As the storm moves northeast along the St. Lawrence River late Sunday, it brings along a cold front with it, which is likely to bring widespread rain showers for Monday.

Monday appears that it will be a dry start for northern and eastern areas, with showers and storms arriving in the afternoon and evening. Western and southern zones can expect a wet day from begining to end.

The area appears to slowly dry out from this round of humidity by mid-week.

The forecast through Monday for the state:

Thursday: High clouds cause for a milky sunshine, with clouds building late in the day. Highs 63°- 73° Cooler along the coast with a sea breeze forming late morning.

Thursday Night: Clouds thicken, showers late. Lows 46° – 56°

Friday: Cloudy with at 70% chance of showers. Breezy. Highs 63° – 70° (50s Down East, Islands) with temperatures falling in the western mountains and northwest crown of Aroostook in the afternoon.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of showers possible. Lows 48° – 55°

Saturday: Variable amounts of clouds with a 20% chance of showers. Highs in the 50s for the north and west, 60s south and east. Sea breeze chills the coast.

Saturday Night: A 30% chance for showers north, mainly dry and variable clouds south. Lows 57° – 63°

Sunday: Variable amounts of clouds with a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. More sun for southern and western areas. Humid. Highs in the 70s away from the shorelines. Southerly wind increases to chill the the southern shorelines, MidCoast and Down East areas where highs top out in the upper 50s to mid-60s.

Sunday Night: Clouds increase, with a 20% chance of a shower by morning. Lows 58° – 68°.

Monday: Mostly cloudy with a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms. Continued humid. Breezy. Highs in the 70s inland, upper 50s to mid-60s for the southwest coast, MidCoast, Islands and Down East regions.

-Mike Haggett

For official forecast information: please check in with National Weather Service Gray for Western & Southern Maine and National Weather Service Caribou for Eastern & Northern Maine.

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Special thanks to Tropical Tidbits and Pivotal Weather for their written permission to use their graphics in this post. Use of WeatherTAP images used within their written permitted terms of media use policy. Additional forecast information supplied by the National Weather Service, WeatherBELL Analytics and AccuWeather Professional.

Always Stay Weather Aware!

Mike Haggett

About Mike Haggett

As a Mainer for nearly five decades, Mike understands all too well the ever changing weather forecasts and surprises given the location and geography of the state. Spending much of his time as child outdoors fishing in all four seasons, keeping track of the weather was a must for personal safety. Living firsthand through the impacts of weather through many types of storms and phenomena, the idea came to mind for him to analyze it closer in 2011.