The news has been filled with stories of the big coastal storm that has caused weather problems from the Midwest to southern New England.  As this storm continues to move out to sea it will just graze southern Maine. There is winter weather advisory in effect for York County, and there can be several inches of snow in that area overnight. Tonight the snow will spread north and should reach Portland later this evening.  Roads will become slippery and plows may need to be called out, especially south of Portland.  By tomorrow morning a general 1 to 3 inch snowfall will be on the ground across much of southern Maine.  There can be up to 4 or 5 inches near York and Elliot.

I’ll be updating my weather forecasts on Twitter at @growingwisdom please follow me there.

The Coast

There is a coastal flood warning for coastal York and Cumberland Counties with flood advisories for the mid-coast.  High tide in Portland is just before 8 AM tomorrow and there can be flooding of shore roads, some basements and severe beach erosion.  The high tides will continue into Saturday morning, but Friday morning’s tide looks to be the worst.

During the morning Friday the snow will end and some sunshine will start to break through the clouds around August and Waterville later in the morning and then move south.  Further south, there won’t be much if any sun for tomorrow.

The weekend is looking great as high pressure builds into the area, winds subside and strong March sunshine goes to work.  Temperatures are going into the 40s both Saturday and Sunday with lots of melting.  If you do get snow tonight, it will be gone by Sunday evening.
 
This is the weekend we set our clocks ahead.  While many people love the added light in the evening, if you are a morning person like me, I am not a fan.  I feel like it’s finally getting light early enough that I am getting out bed as the light is breaking.  Sunday morning, our sunrises are back to just after 7 AM which means several weeks of getting up in the dark again.  It will take until the first week of April to see our sunrises as early as they are today. 
 
While it may look like winter the next 24 hours, spring is rapidly approaching.  Already some of you have crocus and snowdrops in bloom and lawns are exposed.  While we can see big snows in March and into April, the added light and strength of the sun will always win out this time of year.  If you poke at the ground, even through the snow, you will notice it is already beginning to thaw or is already no frozen.  Activity in the ground increases this time of the year and roots of trees and shrubs are slowly waking up. 
 
Next week there is going to be a period of shower most likely in the Monday night timeframe. These showers will usher in a period of chilly air for the middle of the week.  Temperatures will feel cold after our nice weekend.  Highs will only be in the 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday.  If you are venturing onto the ice this time of year take precautions to be sure the integrity of the ice is still intact.  The freezing and thawing of ice does weaken it.  The size of the body of water, movement of water and shape of shoreline all play into the way the ice dissipates, know your ice and be safe.
 

Gardening this week Depending on how aggressive you want to be in the garden, March does begin planting season. Fava beans, peas, lettuce, radish, carrots, and other cold weather crops can be planted by the end of the month. Inside, you can start many of your seedlings this month. I generally start my tomatoes in the first couple of weeks of March, which is about 8 weeks before they will go into the ground. Early this month is also the time to prune your blueberry bushes. In this week’s video I show you how to keep your blueberry bushes healthy and yielding big, juicy berries. I’ll be updating my weather forecasts on Twitter at @growingwisdom please follow me there.

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