The weather is going into drama mode today with strong wind, heavy rain, thunder, and eventually a rapid return to colder air.

A strong southerly flow over Maine  this morning is transporting maritime tropical air north.  Temperatures overnight didn’t fall much below 60F for a taste of summer.  Although there are a lot of clouds today, many areas will make it back into the middle 60s this afternoon. 

Lunar Eclipse

We missed the lunar eclipse early this morning thanks to all the clouds.  We get another chance to see some of the next eclipse on October 8^th 2014.  There are then two more total eclipses in 2015, both in April and October. For those of the Jewish faith, it’s interesting that all four eclipse fall on the festivals of Passover and Sukkot.

The cluster of eclipses is called a tetrad and does happen in clusters.  In the period between 1600 and 1900 there were none, whereas in the 21^st Century there are 8 sets of tetrads!  Let’s hope it’s not cloudy for all 32 of these lunar eclipses.

You will notice an increase in shower activity throughout the day.  Radar does show some showers already moving up from the south.  At times it might rain hard for a few minutes this morning, but more of the time will be dry rather than wet. 

This afternoon, as the front approaches from the west, the risk of showers and thunderstorms will increase and so too will the wind.  The National Weather Service has issued flood watch into tomorrow for the heavy rain and rapidly melting snows.  Winds will be strongest through about 2AM.

Temperatures will continue mild this evening, but once the front crosses they will fall rapidly into the 30s.  The winds should be strong enough to prevent black ice from occurring.  However, it’s not out of the question you could see some snow or hear sleet pinging at your window early Wednesday morning just before the precipitation ends.

Tomorrow is a blustery and cold day.  Highs will only reach upper 30s and lower 40s and after being in the middle 70s to near 80F on Monday, it will be quite a shock.  If you did put out a houseplant or two already, be sure to bring them inside today.   On Thursday morning there will be a hard freeze with all areas falling below freezing and many areas as low as the upper teens and lower 20s This is near record low temperatures.  If you did plant some pansies already, I advise covering them Wednesday night.  While pansies are hardy enough for a frost or light freeze, once readings fall under 26F, the flower blooms can be killed. The plant will be ok, but it won’t look very good for a few weeks.

Marathon Monday

While still a week away there are already some trends developing for Monday.  First, it doesn’t look warm.   Having a Patriots Day when it hits 80F isn’t good for the runners and can even be too warm for spectators.  Currently, it appears highs will be in the 50s after starting in the 40s, nearly ideal for running.  There will be a blend of clouds and sunshine, nearly perfect for both runner and spectator. 

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