I expect a lull in the action during the middle of the day Saturday and there can even be a bit of sunshine.  If the sun does make an appearance it will only serve to destabilize the atmosphere or make it more conducive for thunderstorms.  These storms will push through during the late afternoon and evening. 

 

Both the showers in the morning and those during the second part of the day could contain heavy downpours and some roads will no doubt see street flooding for a short period of time.  If the storms grow strong enough some small hail is a possibility, especially west of the coastline.

 

The good news is that the weekend will improve dramatically for Mother’s Day.  Sunshine will return and I will take out the chance for any rain.  The air will feel much drier and temperatures will be in the 60s during the afternoon.  Whatever your plans are with mom, the weather looks to cooperate.

 

Early next week will be a bit chilly and some spots could see a late frost Tuesday morning. I am not expecting a widespread frost, but most of Maine will be down in the upper 30s for a couple of mornings. 

 

As you probably know I am bit gardening nut.  I want to give you some tips about things to do this weekend in your yard or for container gardening. First, stay away from any impatiens this year.  Some folks reported New Guinea impatiens to be ok, but I recommend not planting them.  The blight will basically kill your plants very rapidly.  If we have a humid and wet summer, you can almost be assured they will die.  Begonia, browallia with true blue flowers, nasturtiums, nemesia, cape fuschias, plectranthus and snapdragons are great substitutes.  Personally, I like begonia and fuschias for shady areas. 

 

My second piece of advice is don’t rush into planting warm weather annuals or vegetables this weekend.  The weather looks quite chilly Tuesday morning. Some spots will be back in the 30s and while this might not kill your plants, it can weaken them and make them susceptible to problems. I would not be surprised to see frost from Sanford to Bridgton and up through the foothills.  By all means buy lots of plants this weekend, but keep them protected until after the chill of early next week.  

 

Gardening this week This is a great time of year to get the lawn in shape. In this week’s video I talk about a few things I am going this time of year to keep my lawn healthy.