A few showers possible for Saturday; a couple storms with potential next week

Time to clean up as much as possible

For the lack of sounding like a broken record, I will make the point again that now is the time to get your fall clean ups going and finish stacking the wood. The pattern is on the cool and stormy side for the next week or more. We may have a brief above normal period towards the first weekend in November, but it likely won't be 70s and flip-flop weather. Average temperatures are going down from here onward into winter. 

Not only should you tend to outdoor chores, it's also wise to check on the storm necessities if you have not done so yet. Make sure there is non perishable food, water reserves, batteries for flashlights and weather radios, chargers for smartphones and tablets, and think about getting snow tires put on your vehicle soon.  Talk storm preps over with your family.  Avoid the rush, be prepared, have a plan.

A few showers around on Saturday; snow flurries possible for the north country Sunday

Most of the shower activity passes through in the morning with a few isolated showers possible up in the afternoon courtesy of a warm front. It will be a another mild day for southern and eastern areas with temperatures either side of 60° with 50s for the north country. It will be breezy from the southwest as a cold front approaches later in the day towards evening. Front passes through later on Saturday, brings a wind shift, and chilly northwest wind brings a snow shower threat to the higher elevations in the mountains that may linger into Sunday morning. Sunday could be 15°-20° cooler than Saturday with the north country struggling to get to 40°, and the coastal plain struggling to get to 50°.

First storm to watch comes midweek

This is an impressive storm that is impacting southern Alaska with a lot of wind. It is energy from this storm that carries the the seeds to what may come Tuesday into Wednesday. 

Energy from that storm is on track to climb over a very strong ridge over the western half of the continent, and potentially carry cold air down from the Arctic which could dump over New England Tuesday / Tuesday night. 

IF the cold arrives in time, the north country could be dealing with some snow. It's early to get into many specifics on timing, precipitation type / amounts and potential impacts, but the cold Canadian High moving in for Sunday is one of the table setters for this storm to develop and will have cold air nearby to make this idea turn into reality. There are model disagreements on this so this is not carved into stone as of yet. What models do agree on is there is likely to be some precipitation in the Tuesday / Wednesday time frame. Stay updated on this. 

Concerns for another storm next weekend

In my previous updates I have voiced concerns about strong storm potential as we round out the month of October. We're coming up on the one year anniversary of the Late October Gale of 2017 and the memory of that is not far from the mind. The last half of next week is setting up somewhat similar as to that storm last year. Blocking to the east, trough to the west, potential for moisture from the south. It all depends on how it comes together. 

When I saw this idea pop up, I had a lump develop in my throat.  This is eerily similar as to the storm that impacted the area a year ago.  What concerns me is this idea is totally in the realm of possibility given the pattern. For now, it is science fiction, and something to keep tabs on through the week. 

Outlook through Tuesday

Again, we'll keep an eye on what happens in the Tuesday / Wednesday time frame and will have a better idea Saturday into Sunday. Stay tuned for updates as the weekend unfolds. 

For the latest official forecasts, bulletins and advisories, please check in with the National Weather Service in Gray for western and southern areas, or Caribou for northern and eastern parts of Maine.

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Always stay weather aware! 

​- Mike