Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
985 FXUS61 KGYX 070041 AFDGYX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gray ME 741 PM EST Sat Dec 6 2025 .SYNOPSIS... High pressure briefly builds in Sunday behind a cold front. Low pressure will quickly pass over the region Sunday evening and overnight. This will bring widespread light snow accumulations to much of the forecast area before departing Monday. An active weather pattern will feature a few more chances of precipitation heading into the middle of next week. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... Mainly fair weather is expected for much of the night now that the light snow has pushed out of the region. Some slippery spots will be possible along the the potential for patchy fog until a cold front passes through late. Previously... Light snow this morning and afternoon has pushed north and east out of the area. Dense clouds have allowed temps to remain on the cool side much of the day, and only some breaks will allow temps to jump before heading back to the teens for overnight lows. Despite the trend towards more scattered skies this afternoon, 12z HREF depicts a period of low clouds redeveloping, perhaps fog, this evening into the overnight hours. This is likely exaggerated by one or two members, but a lot of near term guidance does crash temps to the dewpoint (increased in a weak warm sector) as the sun goes down. Added moisture advection may be enough to produce shallow ground fog over snowpack. Drier air and a wind shift arrives later tonight, perhaps enough to erode this shallow fog. At this time overall confidence remains low for widespread fog. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... Key Messages: * Light snow arrives with a quick wave of low pressure Sunday evening. Snow will continue overnight into predawn Monday morning for the northern two-thirds of the forecast area. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected, most falling just before the Monday AM commute. Details: A fair day Sunday with little remark. Dry conditions bring temps a little closer to seasonal norms in the upper 20s and mid 30s. Guidance has come into good agreement on the next system to track across northern New England. The open wave will track across central/southern NH Sunday night, focusing much of its QPF north of Kennebunk, ME to Claremont, NH. Snow will spread into northern NH late Sunday afternoon, increasing in coverage into the evening and overnight hours. Still looks to be a weak inverted trough that develops along the coast, but this likely centers around weak low pres moving into the Gulf of Maine vs. a genuine Norlun feature. Either way, it could provide an hour or two of increased snow rates along the ME coast to put down an inch or two of snow before the Monday morning commute. Most guidance begins this around Casco Bay before lifting it north into the Midcoast. While the low`s transit has sped up, there may be some lingering light snow falling for the Midcoast into the lower Kennebec Valley come Monday morning, creating slick travel. Winds become NW behind the departing low, becoming breezy to start the week. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... Persistent troughing is expected through the extended, as an upper- level low gyrates over the Hudson Bay. This will allow for colder than average air to persist over the northeast. Perhaps the coldest of this air will arrive on Monday, as a prior cold front brings fresh northwesterly breeze brings blustery and a much colder airmass into the picture. Winds will die down in the afternoon, with mostly clear skies. This will allow for a textbook radiational cooling night Monday night, with lows dropping down to near 0F across most places in New Hampshire and Maine. Two Alberta Clippers are anticipated to move across the region in the second half of next week. The first system is anticipated to be weak and progressive, with scattered snow showers likely Tuesday night. Up to a coating of snow is possible. A more substantial clipper follows a little to the north of the previous one`s footsteps, with more widespread rain and snow likely Wednesday night. This time around, snow does appear to be more confined to the mountains, with a few inches of snow possible there. The system does pull in enough warm air to keep snow accumulations mostly away from southern NH and areas closer to the coastline, though brief periods of rain and snow mix can`t be ruled out along the population corridor. && .AVIATION /01Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Short Term...Shallow ground fog may develop this evening and overnight which could lower visibility at some interior terminals (will be watching southern NH TAF sites closely). Other than some fog, expect ceilings to be VFR tonight and Sunday. MVFR/IFR ceilings then invade with quick moving low pressure Sunday evening. This will also bring SN to reduce vis to 1 to 2 miles overnight. Improvement is expected at or shortly after 12z Mon for much of the forecast area north of PSM/COn/LEB line. Long Term...Conditions improve to VFR Monday morning, with VFR expected through Tuesday afternoon. Snow moves in Tuesday afternoon, allowing for restrictions to lower. Lower restrictions are possible through the remainder of the week. && .MARINE... Short Term...Winds and seas remain below SCA criteria. Winds shift NW Sunday morning as a cold front passes. Quick moving low pres enters the Gulf of Maine Monday morning, increasing winds to around 30 kts. Some gusts to gale may be attainable on the outer waters. Long Term...Near gale-force northwesterly winds are likely Monday morning with seas of 4-6ft. Winds will gradually subside Monday evening, and remaining at SCA levels and seas of 5-8ft are expected through the remainder of the extended. A brief period of below SCA threshold winds and seas is possible Tuesday morning. && .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. NH...None. MARINE...None. && $$ SYNOPSIS... NEAR TERM...Cornwell/Ekster SHORT TERM...Cornwell LONG TERM...Palmer AVIATION... MARINE...