Cold and windy weather is headed for Maine overnight. Wind chills will fall below zero during the night and remain there tomorrow. If you are doing roof work Friday it’s going to be very cold and you will want to take the wind seriously. The added momentum of the wind will make it harder to work on a roof.

Friday is bright, sunny and cold. Highs will only reach between 5 degrees F and 15 degrees F in the afternoon for one of the colder days of the winter.

It continues cold Friday night and Saturday with dry weather holding through the morning Saturday and into the afternoon.

All the focus is on a piece of energy moving down from the arctic regions of the globe. This energy will move to the coast Saturday evening and spawn a new storm just off the New England coastline. This system will rapidly gain energy and therefore bring more heavy snow and wind to the area.

Snow Amounts And Type
Like most of our storms lately, this one will occur with very cold air in place. This means more snow that is less dense and easier to move. The wind will be able to blow the snow into drifts, but this will also make it easier to move and keep some of it off the roofs.

Power Issues
Since the snow will be light in weight we shouldn’t have power line problems. However, the strong winds along the coastline can always create power outages.

The map below shows predicted winds for Sunday afternoon. Notice the strongest winds are off the Maine coastline.

Timing
The snow should start during the late afternoon Saturday and continue into Sunday night. I expect the bulk of the storm to end by 10 p.m., but it could linger beyond that time.

Blizzard
There are blizzard watches posted for parts of Maine. A blizzard means wind and snow will combine to create whiteout conditions. Visibility will be at or under a quarter mile for three or more hours. A blizzard brings conditions in which driving is nearly impossible. A watch means there is a chance these conditions could develop, but confidence isn’t high enough for a warning.

I’ll be updating on the storm here and on Twitter @growingwisdom.

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Airlines
Once again delays and cancellations are going to be problematic this weekend. The storm won’t be underway until Saturday night, but some airlines always cancel early. Heavy snow and wind Sunday morning will likely prevent most flights. The exact track of the storm and when it intensifies and moves into the Gulf of Maine will determine if the Portland International Jetport and other airports are able to resume activity Sunday night or must wait until Monday.

Changes In The Forecast
The storm is still 48 hours away and forecasts for snow totals and timing will change. If the storm intensifies a bit closer to the region, I’ll have to increase the snow amounts. The highest snow amounts are most likely along the coastline, but all of the area will see a major snowstorm.

Next Storm
There is another storm possible for Tuesday or Wednesday with more snow. I do see the first signs of the cold finally relaxing, even for a few days, around Feb. 22. Hang in there.

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