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Before I get into this, I want to give a shout-out to Mark Laflamme of the Lewiston Sun Journal for including me in two columns about the storm published Wednesday and Thursday. Those have been added to my list of citations on the PTW in Media page. When I moved from Poland to Kennebunk in April 2018, that area and the people are always on my mind for many reasons as I continued my work here. For the other print media types that I know read here, I am always open for interviews, questions, and quotes for stories. The recovery begins The epic storm that will be recalled by many for the hammering and hardship it caused has become vertically stacked. That is meteorological jargon for reaching past maturity, with the upper-low capturing the surface low, and thus has begun the weakening stage.  A look at the 500mb heights and vorticity forecast loop of the 00z (8 PM Thursday) run of the European model shows the core and waves of energy around it continuing to spin around the region. There is no place for it to go until the ridge to the east opens the exit door on Sunday. The area will often deal with off-and-on rain and/or snow showers, along with breezy conditions. Until this leftover atmospheric trash departs, sunshine will be limited to the north by Sunday. Outside of a chance glimpse, the rest of the region won’t see the glowing orb until Monday. Eclipse day continues to look good For those heading north to experience the eclipse, please understand that you will likely be driving into a mess. With widespread power outages due to the damage of the heavy snow, open gas stations may be limited in a region that has few, to begin with, given the area's rural nature. If the forecast for the number of people that enter the region for this event does occur, there is the risk of stations running out of gas. Traffic jams on rural roads won’t help fill tanks efficiently. If you go off-road and get stuck, good luck getting out of it. Cell phone service is sketchy in many parts of western areas over into the central highlands. Already taxed first responders and tow truck drivers from this storm are likely to deal with an assortment of headaches with this event. The timing of this after the blast the region has experienced could not be worse. Flood potential next weekI may be jumping the gun a bit here, but it’s important to start this discussion for those who are without power and may not have power by late next week. Temperatures will rise, melting begins, and a long wave frontal boundary later in the week is the next weather hurdle to deal with.  Leading into the storm, I mentioned how much water content was locked into the snowfall. That is going to melt over the next several days. This is a modeled snow water equivalent chart based on what guidance thinks occurred, so there could be locally higher or lower amounts of water associated with the recent snowfall. A general 1-4” for the coastal plain is depicted here, with 4-8” of water potentially for the mountains and north. Not to sound alarmist here, but this is similar to what we had on the ground ahead of the December 18th storm. We know that did not end well.  This is a look at modeled snow depth, based on the European’s idea of what it thinks we have on the ground. This is based on inches of snowfall, NOT water content. It shows gradual melting through the week, then when the long wave front arrives late next week, the snowpack gets obliterated.  Take the amount of water in the snow and its melting, and then throw in the idea of 1-2”+ of rainfall, and that raises my concern for flooding. Folks who have no power and rely on a sump pump for drainage later next week could have a big problem on their hands. All of this water is going to drain into already high rivers, so I have both headwater and downstream concerns. This is something to watch, prepare for, and stay updated on. Stay tuned.   Always have MULTIPLE ways to receive weather alerts. Stay updated, stay on alert, and stay safe! - Mike PRINT MEDIA: Feel free to quote and cite my work here for your stories. Please give me the professional courtesy of knowing that you are referencing my material so I can read your final product and acknowledge it on my media and link it on the PTW IN MEDIA page here on the website. Feel free to send me a message via the Facebook page or Twitter (X) to get my phone number if necessary. Thank you! NOTE: The forecast information depicted on this platform is for general information purposes only for the public and is not designed or intended for commercial use. For those seeking pinpoint weather information for business operations, you should use a private sector source. For information about where to find commercial forecasters to assist your business, please message me and I will be happy to help you. |
Mike Haggett
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