Accidents on the Maine Turnpike again this morning as a windswept rain continues across Maine.  Even in ski country the snow is changing to rain as very mild air streams north from the tropics.  There are flood watches up for much of the area with warnings and advisories for the wind. 

 

While most of the precipitation will fall as rain, but there will be some snow on the western edge.  As the storm end tonight and colder air rushes back into the area a few inches of snow could fall across the mountains.   In southern New England there may be a few flurries before the precipitation comes to an end, but I am not expecting any travel issues if you are driving there.   The rainstorm will have a lull around the middle of the afternoon before a second and final batch of rain moves northward for the first part of the evening.  After that it will turn drier and windy.

Wind

Winds are going to be strongest from now  through 2 PM Wednesday.   During that time the wind could gust as high as 50 miles per hour with some isolated gusts even higher along the coast and at exposed higher elevations.  Winds of this strength can knock down trees and cause power outages.

Rainfall will be heavy and at times, cause urban street and poor drainage flooding.  If you are traveling about be aware you could end up hitting some very deep puddles for a while during the day.

This storm came into the west coast of the country last week and has been moving eastward since.   It will finally exit the country and push through eastern Canada over the weekend.

Rain

Generally 1 to 3 inches of rain will fall by the time it ends, with a few spots perhaps beating that amount by a bit.  We need the rain badly and I am hoping for 2 inches or more at my house.  This will saturate the ground and give the soil the moisture it is lacking.  This will also help get many of my plants safely through the winter.

Travel

Below are two maps that show what the weather is going to be like in other areas the next couple of days.  It’s really from the mid-Atlantic states northward that will have the travel issues today. The rest of the country is storm free.  Washington, Philly, New York and Boston will have some air travel issues from strong winds.

Thanksgiving

 It’s going to be cool, even in Florida for Thanksgiving with highs only in the 60s to lower 70s. The map below shows mainly dry weather enveloping the Country.  Late in the weekend there could be a few rain or snow showers in the Ohio Valley and parts of New England, more on that in a couple of days.

Football games

Here in Maine  it will be dry and very windy for the high school games Thanksgiving morning.  You will need to bundle up as wind chills will fall to the single digits or colder at times.  There won’t be any snow and the sun will be quite bright.

The cold dry weather continues Friday and Saturday with high temperatures more like Christmas than Turkey Day.  There may be some light snow later Sunday, more on this over the weekend.

Around the House This Week I know some of you are already thinking about Christmas trees. Did you ever consider there are great trees you can add to the landscape that make great Christmas trees? Even if you don’t decorate the tree, it will still be a wonderful addition in the landscape.

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

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