Temperatures begin to trend downward through late week, chances for showers in the days ahead

Heat wave ends today

The Tuesday afternoon temperatures are in the 90's across SW Maine with mid to upper 80's common elsewhere across the state. Temperatures are slightly cooler in the 70's and 80's along the shoreline due to the persistent sea breeze. Some daily record high temperatures have been broken across the state for the second or third day in a row because of strong upper-level ridging over the Eastern United States including our region over the last few days. This will be the last very hot day across the state as a cold front brings in a more seasonable airmass for later in the week. 

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Scattered showers and thunderstorms possible Tuesday night ahead of an approaching cold front

For Tuesday evening and into the overnight hours, we will see a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms primarily for the southern half of the state (south of a line running from Millinocket to Houlton). These scattered showers and thunderstorms are associated with a cold front that is slowly pushing its way into our state from the north. This cold front will usher in a more comfortable air mass by providing relief from the excessive heat and high humidity we have seen the past several days from tomorrow onwards. Across the northern half of the state, we will see areas of patchy fog and isolated showers for the overnight. Low temperatures will range from the upper 50's across Aroostook County in the north to the upper 60's in SW Maine.

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Lower humidity and temperatures Wednesday onward

 Wednesday morning the cold front will move through the northern half of the state pressing its way to the south and moving through the southern parts of the state by the late afternoon. Any scattered showers and thunderstorms that remain across the southern portion of the state should "fizzle out" with the passage of the cold front tomorrow afternoon.  High temperatures Wednesday will be in the 70's across the north and the low to mid-80's across SW Maine and the interior. Temperatures should be in the 70's for the shoreline locations. Behind the cold front, we should see more seasonable temperatures and much lower dewpoints statewide as we head into Thursday. High temperatures on Thursday are likely to be in the low to mid 70's across SW Maine and the interior and in the 60's for the northern and coastal areas with sunny skies expected statewide. Dewpoints will be very comfortable in the 40's and 50's as opposed to the mid to upper 60's we saw earlier in the week.

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Showers possible for southern areas
​heading into the weekend

A shortwave should approach the area from the west on Friday likely resulting in a showery and cool day across much of southern Maine with high temperatures in the upper 50's to lower 60's. Across northern Maine, a mix of sun and clouds can be expected with temperatures in the 60's.

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Long range temperature and precipitation outlook

Seasonable temperatures with a mix of sun and clouds are expected statewide on both Saturday and Sunday.  Looking into the longer range, it appears Maine could see average to below average temperatures and near average precipitation with more troughing expected over our region.

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Rip Currents: Know your options

With the record heat ongoing across much of the state, many people are likely keeping cool by swimming in Maine's coastal waters or lakes.  If you are swimming near a shoreline, there is always the risk of getting caught up in a rip current. Some tips to keep in mind if you are stuck in a rip current are: don't swim against the current, swim out of the current by swimming parallel to the shoreline, if you can't escape you should float or tread water, and if you need help yell or wave for assistance. For more information regarding rip currents, click here.

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Be prepared to receive alerts and stay updated!

​BE PREPARED WITH A NOAA Weather Radio.
​
​For $20-$40, it could provide vital information to you when you need it. The weather bands are standard on most public safety scanners, and newer scanner models. Weather radios can be programmed for auto alert.  Click here for more information.

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​► ► 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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-Aidan 

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