A cool northeast wind greeted Mainers this morning, a welcome change from the fog and high moisture of Thursday.  The breeze will continue much of the morning with temperatures struggling to reach the 70s along the coast.  There will be some periods of sunshine, but a lot of clouds as well.   While this won’t be a great beach day, it will still be a good afternoon to get outside and enjoy Maine in July.

I’ll be updating the details of the weather on Twitter at @growingwisdom Please follow me there. Feel free to comment or ask questions too.

The fog that was so thick in places yesterday morning has been pushed out to sea and left us with much better visibility and better drying for those of you haying today.
 
As for any rain, I do feel that all areas will stay dry today with the threat of showers out of the forecast.    A cold front crossed the area yesterday and ushered in the change.  That front is not very far offshore and one of the reasons there are so many clouds today. 
Tomorrow a weak storm will develop along the front.  This will keep some clouds in the forecast especially south of Portland.  All areas will see more sunshine than today. 
 
Sunday is my pick for the weekend with abundant sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70s to lower 80s inland.  Humidity will still be low, but increasing slowly throughout the day.
 
Heat Returns
Starting Monday and lasting most of next week, the heat will return and you can expect highs to be in the 87-92 degree range inland and in the 77 to 85 degree range at the coast.  Humidity levels will be back to feeling tropical and the nights are going to be more uncomfortable for sleeping.
I think the favored areas of interior southern Maine will have their third heat wave of the summer with at least three days of 90+ heat.  July is running many degrees above the 30 year averages and if this keeps up, we could see one of the hotter Julys on record. 
 
There are early signs that the pattern may break at the end of next week as the jet stream slips south and allows a longer period of less hot weather into the region.  That prospect is still a week away and certainly not a sure bet.  Our chances of a few more days of warm and not so humid weather start to slightly increase as we get beyond the third week of the month.  
 
All this heat is taking its toll on us as well as plants and animals.  I recommend using the cooler weather today and tomorrow to check on your gardens.  As temperatures approach or exceed 90F again, it’s going to be harder to work outside.  A few suggestions would be to stake up perennials, weed, weed, weed, and notice which areas of the garden still might need some added water.
 
If you want to plant some new seedlings, there is certainly time to do that.  The video below shows how I am growing lettuce in containers right now.  I have a tray of seedlings I started two weeks ago which can be place in the ground in about a week.

I’ll be updating the details of the weather on Twitter at @growingwisdom Please follow me there. Feel free to comment or ask questions too.

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.

Related Stories
Latest Articles