It’s a changeable afternoon across the region with an abundance of clouds, some clouds and a few showers. There is also a muggy feel to the air. On balance the day will be a dry one, but there are these showers in the forecast that could occur almost at any time. As I write this there are steadier showers north of Augusta, and these should stay north.

It’s impossible to forecast the exact location of today’s showers as the mechanisms producing them aren’t well organized. I suspect at some point in the future our computer models will become so good forecasters will be able to say a higher risk of showers over Sanford than there is over Portland, but that’s not the case in these situation just yet.

Later tonight a cold front will once again move in from the ocean and bring a cooler marine air mass with it. These air masses originate over the chilly north Atlantic and thus bring with them chillier air. As we get deeper into June and July the heat over the continental United States tends to keep the marine air masses from frequently visiting. There are some summers when the predominant flow does come from the ocean and in those years we tend to have cooler, foggier summers especially along the water. I’m not saying this is going to be one of those summers, but they do happen.

Although cooler tomorrow, I’ll remove the chance of showers from the forecast. If you have any outdoor plans including some of those late year school field trips, the weather will not be a factor. Temperatures in Portland will be chilly tomorrow, so if you are walking around outside you might need a light jacket especially if you aren’t in the sun.

Another system of showers and clouds comes back for Thursday and Friday. I believe there is a better chance of rain with this than we are seeing today. The key to the weekend forecast will be how quickly the entire area moves east. If the system lingers a bit then we might see some showers early Saturday. If it moves along then the showers will be out of the forecast by then.

Sunday is Father’s day and like Mother’s Day is looking pretty nice. I am certainly not going to favor either parent so I am glad the weather looks good Sunday. Temperatures over the weekend will be warming rising from the lower and middle 70s Saturday into the lower 80s for Sunday. Humidity levels will remain low.

I still don’t see a pattern of heat and humidity coming to New England right now. It’s still early for big heat and prolonged humidity anyway, but I know some of you like that type of weather. Your turn will surely come at some point this summer.