Increasing clouds today give way to heavy snow tonight

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - We start off today with mostly sunny skies and dry conditions, but clouds increase through the afternoon and evening as a strong low-pressure system moves in from the Ohio River Valley. High temperatures today will be cold, only reaching the teens and 20′s. This storm system will produce heavy snow across the state tonight, before a transition to mix and rain along the coast late tonight. Then as warm southerly winds pick up overnight, inland locations, like the Bangor area, will start to see a transition to mix and rain during the early morning hours on Thursday. That rain snow line looks to continue to push in from south to north over the course of Thursday. This will cause areas along south & east of I-95 to change from snow to sleet then to all rain. Communities north & west of I-95 will go from snow to a wintry mix and locations over the far north will stay as snow. Snowfall rates for some areas could top out at over an inch per hour resulting in rapidly accumulating snow and low visibility and difficult travel. A high “fluff factor” during the start of the snow will result in significant snowfall totals for the first half of the storm. Along the coastline could see gusts as high as 45 mph, whereas inland locations could see gusts from 30-35 mph. This will result in blowing snow and reduced visibilities tonight. The highest snowfall totals will be over the Crown of Maine where over 12″ of snow could fall. The mountains should expect 8-12″. Totals will taper off quickly as you move towards the coast where 2-4″ are likely. For the Bangor area, snowfall totals will range from 4-8″.

High temperatures on Thursday will be in the mid to upper 20′s across northern Maine, but in the upper 30′s to low to mid 40′s across southern Maine. The bulk of the precipitation looks to taper off for southern and coastal Maine by the afternoon, while scattered snow showers stick around northern Maine. After this storm pushes into the Canadian Maritimes, cold air will rush in behind this system, causing temperatures to drop significantly for Friday. Highs on Friday will once again only be in the teens and 20′s. Rapidly falling temperatures Thursday night will cause any wet spots on the roads and sidewalks to freeze up, which can make travel slick Friday morning.

The weekend looks dry but there is another chance for snow Sunday night into Monday.

TODAY: Clouds increase late this morning and through the afternoon, high temperatures reach between 17-28. Winds will be out of the ENE at around 5-10 MPH.

TONIGHT: Heavy snowfall will accumulate rapidly tonight; low temperatures drop between 9-25.

THURSDAY: Moderate to heavy snow north, snow changes to mix and rain south. Highs will be in the 20′s up north, with highs in the 30′s and 40′s DownEast.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny skies with highs in the 20s.

SATURDAY: Partly to mostly cloudy skies with highs ranging from the upper 20s to the mid 30s.

SUNDAY: Mixture of sun & clouds with highs in the upper 20s and low 30s. Snow moves in late afternoon and into the evening.

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