


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
Issued by NWS Portland, ME
931 FXUS61 KGYX 171819 AFDGYX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gray ME 219 PM EDT Sun Aug 17 2025 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front will bring a round of showers and a few thunderstorms today, followed by cooler weather for the start of the work week. A weak trough will trigger some showers Wednesday, followed by high pressure building in from the west. Temperatures will warm back into the 80s by late week. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Impacts and Key Messages: * A few strong to marginally severe thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening, with strong winds being the main threat. Things seem to be on track this afternoon as showers are starting to cross into our area from across the International Border, with no lightning yet. This was expected as early clouds kept temperatures and instability lower up there. Storms are beginning to PoP up in the vicinity of the White Mountains and points south. Also, no lightning yet at the time of this writing, but as they move into the hot and humid airmass near the coast they should be able to rise quickly. SPC mesoanalysis suggests we have been able to build up 1000-1500 J/kg of SBCAPE this afternoon south of the mountains which will be plenty for storms to feed off of. At the same time mid-level lapse rates are analyzed to be poor (around 5.5 C/km) which suggest more isolated coverage, but low level lapse rates are steep (near 8.5 C/km) so any of the more robust convection that is able to get going will pose a strong wind threat. Precipitation remains hit or miss for much of the area south of the mountains and west of Augusta, with the 12Z HREF mean suggesting zero to a tenth of an inch and the max suggesting a sporadic 0.25-0.50 for any one lucky enough to get under a more robust storm. Again, there will likely be more than a few locations that miss out completely this evening. In central Maine and the Midcoast, where models have been consistently putting more robust convection, the HREF mean is in the ballpark of 0.50-0.75, with the max suggesting getting under the core of a good storm could net a location up to 1.50-2", but again these are isolated amounts. By the 7-8PM window showers and storms should be either departing off the coast or losing their fuel. Cooler and drier air quickly follows behind the front allowing for temperatures to plummet up north, to around 40F. The front will continue to slowly sink south with the foothills dropping to the upper 40s and around 50F, and the coastal plain more in the mid- to upper 50s. This quick entrance of the high will tighten the pressure gradient behind the front so many locations probably see breezy winds (15-20mph) most of the night, maybe closer to 25mph along the immediate coast. This should stave off any fog as well. && .SHORT TERM /MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... Impacts and Key Messages: * No significant weather impacts expected. High pressure builds back into the region with 500mb heights rising as well, as the trough continues out to sea. The cold frontal passage will have ushered in cooler and drier air, making for a welcomed pattern change, at least on the temperature front. High temperatures are going to give us an early taste of Fall as they only climb into the low to mid-70s south of the mountains, and into the upper 60s and low 70s to the north. The unfortunate aspect is that clear skies mean we will continue to see drying across the area and likely expansion of drought conditions, especially in areas that miss out on rain today (Sunday). Winds gusts 15-20mph may continue into the morning, mainly in the coastal plain, but high pressure builds in quickly, so would expect them to slacken by the afternoon. Calm winds and clear skies should allow for a very cool night areawide. There is some suggestion that low pressure will be slowly approaching from the Great Lakes Region overnight Monday causing some subtle height falls and streaming some clouds into the region late in the period (more toward sunrise Tuesday). Whether clouds actually make it or not, I think there is plenty of time for some radiational cooling to occur and blended in some MAV guidance to overnight temperatures. This brings low temperatures into the 40s pretty much areawide, with maybe some coastal locations holding near 50F. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... Key messages -Overall trend favors below normal temperatures and rainfall for much of the extended. -Warming trend for late week into the weekend Looking at a cold start on Tuesday with many locations in the 40s, and with light winds we can expect steam fog over inland water bodies. High pressure will dominate on Tuesday with just a few fair wx cumulus clouds. Return flow out of the S will try to bring in some moisture, but daytime mixing will counteract much of it keeping dewpoints <50F. Clouds drift in Tuesday night as a shortwave swings across the area. This feature will have dynamics to support scattered showers, but models are starting to recognize the moisture-starved airmass ahead of it and have backed off on both POPs and QPF. Most areas will be lucky to get 0.1" out of this system, with best probs in the north. Cloud cover will keep temps a few degrees cooler on Wednesday, with 60s to low 70s for most areas. Mainly dry conditions are expected Wed night through Fri as high pressure slides east. Ridging aloft will support warming temperatures for both Fri and Sat, with highs in the 80s returning. The next chance for rain is likely to be associated with a cold front Sunday, but low confidence on coverage at this point. && .AVIATION /18Z SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... Short Term...Showers and thunderstorms move through this afternoon and evening. AUG and RKD are the most likely to see lighting in the vicinity and that has been included in the TAF accordingly. Otherwise, run of the mill showers should not cause any issues. Winds will be breezy tonight with all terminals likely to see gusts up to 15kts at times and coastal terminals like PWM could see gusts up to 20kts. Wind gusts will begin to relax Monday morning with VFR ceilings prevailing. Long Term...There will be localized river valley fog through the first part of next week that will cause localized reductions, especially across the northern terminals. Otherwise, large area of Canadian-sourced high pressure will expand across the region providing widespread VFR conditions through the entire TAF period. && .MARINE... Short Term...Showers and thunderstorms are possible as a cold front approaches the waters this evening. A brief period of northerly wind gusts 25-30 kts is possible overnight tonight into early Monday morning behind a cold front moving over the waters. Long Term...The long term will start with N/NE winds at 10 kt N/NE and >3 ft seas. Conditions will gradually deteriorate as long period swell from Erin makes its way to the Gulf of Maine. Looking at long period swells of 12-15 sec reaching the area Wednesday, growing to 17-20 sec Thu into Fri. Wave heights will peak on Friday with SCA conditions likely with seas >5` for much of the coastal area. High rip current threat all but guaranteed, and a good chance for high surf conditions for at least the Midcoast. Winds during this time will be <10kt with predominantly offshore flow. && .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. NH...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory from 11 PM this evening to 10 AM EDT Monday for ANZ150-152-154. && $$ SYNOPSIS...Jamison NEAR/SHORT TERM...Baron LONG TERM...Jamison