It’s another cold morning across the area with temperatures well below zero in some areas. Near Sanford and Fryeburg, readings are close to 20 below and that’s without the wind. With sunshine to start the day and the beginning of a milder flow, temperatures will rise to the balmy 20s!

mainetemps

Once again more snow is in the forecast. This upcoming system is going to be a bit different than those we’ve seen since late January. This time, milder air will move northward and there could be some mixed precipitation before the system departs. This would be most likely along the south coast, south of Portland.

Timing Of The Snow
This evening will bring be a period of snow with light to moderate accumulations. If you are driving, plan on some slower travel the deeper into the evening you are out. The snow will begin between 5PM and 8PM. While I expect slick roads and steady snow to develop, this isn’t a major storm. I would keep plans to go out tonight, but it depends on your comfort level driving in snowy weather, which by now has probably gotten better. The highest amounts of snow will over southern and coastal sections of the region.

mainesnow

While milder air will move moving north, I don’t think enough warm air will arrive to change a significant amount of the precipitation to sleet or freezing rain. After the snow begins, the air will be getting milder.

The snow will trend from a very light fluffy type of snow to a heavier denser snow. I think the bulk of the precipitation will be over before it has a chance to become freezing rain.

liquid equiv

In southern coastal York County freezing rain could mix in before the precipitation ends Sunday morning. This would pack down the newly fallen snow a bit.

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The image below is called a Skew-T. This is a great tool to forecast precipitation type. The red line represents temperature. In this case this shows degrees Celsius from the ground all the way up past the tropopause. When I look at this chart, if I am forecasting snow, I want to see that the temperatures are always to the left of the freezing line throughout the storm. I highlighted the 32F, 0C line in blue. If temperatures cross the line and move to the right of it, it’s an indication of warmer air and I must think about other forms of precipitation.


skewtmaine

The snow ends Sunday morning between 4AM and 8AM and sunshine returns for the rest of the day. It’s actually going to be a rather nice day and a wonderful day for skiing. Light winds and temperatures above freezing at the base lodges will combine with the deep bases to make it one of the best February ski days this year. What a great way to end school vacation week.

Sunday River Thursday

Sunday River Thursday

More arctic air arrives for next week with significantly below average temperatures continuing to close of the month of February. When this month is finally over, which can’t come fast enough for some of us, this will have been the top coldest or second coldest February in the record books.

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