3-Day Outlook: Wednesday, May 14 – Friday, May 16
High pressure drifts southeast today with return flow aloft channeling warm air from the southwest into northern and eastern Maine. With mostly sunny skies, temperatures in areas from around the Katahdin region northward could reach the low-to-mid-80s for most Valley locations. Tonight, mostly clear skies with increasing clouds from the southwest by early Thursday.
Partly sunny to mostly cloudy skies are expected Thursday as high pressure continues to move east from Thursday through the end of the week. A weak disturbance looks to cross the area on Thursday, which could trigger some scattered showers to the Valley Thursday afternoon. Any showers should wane Thursday night with some patchy fog possible by early Friday.
Friday looks partly sunny with a chance of showers over the course of the day as a frontal boundary sags across the St. John Valley. Rainfall totals are currently expected to be less than 1/10-inch for much of the Saint John Valley. An occluded front approaches Friday as the day progresses with showers continuing Friday night becoming a steadier rain overnight into Saturday.
Daily Summary
Today: Sunny, with a high near 86. West wind 6 to 9 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. West wind 3 to 6 mph.
Thursday: A slight chance of showers after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Southwest wind 3 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
Thursday Night: A slight chance of showers before 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
Friday: A chance of showers, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 71. Calm wind becoming east around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
Friday Night: A chance of showers, mainly after 3am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Southeast wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
4- to 7-Day Outlook: Saturday, May 17 – Tuesday, May 20
An occluded front will move northeast across the area on Saturday, bringing steady rain. There may be a short break in the rain after the front passes, before another round moves in as the main low-pressure system crosses the region. Some model discrepancies are present with regards to the development of a coastal low Saturday; however, the Canadian model indicates that the low could form farther east, which would affect rainfall, mainly in Downeast Maine.
The system will gradually move east early next week with rain tapering to showers Monday and a chance of scattered showers overnight into Tuesday. Mostly cloudy skies are expected over the region Monday into Tuesday with partly cloudy skies developing Tuesday night.
Daily Summary
Saturday: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 61. Southeast wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.
Saturday Night: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.
Sunday: Rain. High near 60. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent.
Sunday Night: Rain likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 70 percent.
Monday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 50 percent.
Monday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Chance of precipitation is 40 percent.
Tuesday: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.
8- to 14-Day Climate Trends: Wednesday, May 21 – Tuesday, May 27
Source: NOAA Climate Prediction Center
Below normal temperatures / Above normal precipitation
Note: Computer model precision diminishes the further into the week the forecast projects. Check The County.me or the National Weather Service Caribou, ME at for weather updates with more current information for the Saint John Valley.
The Week Ahead is the work of UMFK Professor Joseph E. Becker based on personal weather station data, various computer forecast models, and information that the National Weather Service, NOAA, and other weather resources provide.
