Winter settles in Having lived in this state for most of my fifty-four plus years, the arrival of winter cold in January is like clockwork. There is always a strong storm around mid-month that drags the chill in behind it, or so it appears. I remember my father rejoicing the cold when it came. As I was growing up in the 1970's, we would have mild starts to winter that kept us off the lakes and ponds due to the lack of ice. Usually in January the cold would finally come and freeze everything up. That would bring him a sense of security knowing the ice was safe to walk on or bring the snowmobile. We are at that point now, finally. Waves of cold working into the area through SundayOften it is reported that weak troughs and clipper systems are working through the area this time of the year. Looking at surface maps, they do not show a whole lot. This is where the 500mb vorticity loop shows the story. Let me define what is being viewed here. 500mb is the steering level in the atmosphere, located roughly 20,000 feet above the surface. Vorticity is the thermal energy at that level where colder air meets warmer air, which creates friction between the two. This is where the deep reds show up. How this is visualized on the street is with cloud cover. It can also cause precipitation. It also shows the progression of troughs and ridges, and temperature. All of this is being depicted here.  Thursday 7 AM to Sunday 7 PM - This loop is busy. It shows the waves working through the region. A bit colder air comes in with each one. To the south, a storm flares up. The waves that pass over Maine keep the storm away from the region due to an upper-low near Labrador. That is acting as a block. Cold air is dense, and the colder the air is, it acts like a brick. A “backdoor” weak cold front drops down from the north on Saturday as the storm to the south heads out to sea. This brings colder air in. A ridge advances in from the west on Sunday, which ends the run of repeated cold waves and begins to modify the temperature of the airmass. It will be on the cool side next week, just not as cold as what is experienced over the weekend. With each wave that passes through brings the risk of snow showers to the higher elevations. The ski hills get some charity flakes out of this pattern. With the storm passing to the south, the region won't see any snow out if it, but it will get a breeze out it it as it intensifies on the way out, and with the ridge approaching. Bitter cold wind chill through the weekendFor areas in the mountains and north, there is a fair chance wind chill advisories come out of this given the wind and cold temperatures.  As the storm to the south passes to the east, colder air moves in for Saturday where all areas see below zero wind chill to start off.  As the storm departs, the wind slack a bit heading into Sunday morning, but with the backdoor cold front passing through on Saturday, the cold is locked in for another sub-zero wind chill start for Sunday.  Expect the wind out the northwest to bring gusts in the 20 to 35 mph range Thursday into Friday, and gradually subside Saturday into Sunday. Cold Impacts: Vulnerable Populations Everyone is at risk from the dangers of extreme cold, but these groups are more vulnerable than most. Age and certain conditions make the body less able to regulate temperature. Stay Weather-Ready and learn more about cold safety at weather.gov/safety/cold Temperature and outlook through midweekThe normal high and low temperature for the north is 20° and 2°. For the south, 32° for the high and 15° for the low. Outside of some snow showers for the north and mountains as these waves pass through, the region stays precipitation free. The pattern shifts after this period of respite, with the potential for a storm midweek and possibly next weekend.     Cold weather means more coffee needed for early starts Thank you to Allspeed Cyclery & Snow in Portland, Downeast Aerial Photography in Rockland, Dutch Elm Golf Club in Arundel, and Sunrise Property Services in Bridgton, for partnering with Pine Tree Weather. Special thanks to all the individuals who financially contribute. I sincerely appreciate your support. Always have MULTIPLE ways to receive weather alerts. Thank you for being part of my journey. 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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