Warmer, brighter, and breezy on Monday & Tuesday

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - Good evening, and happy Sunday everyone. Showers continue to fall across eastern Maine with overcast skies, while breaks in clouds are developing across western and central portions of the state. Temperatures vary throughout the 40s and low 50s with sustained winds between 10-20 mph out of the NNW for most.

Cloudier skies and rain showers will work out of eastern locations this evening into the start of the overnight. Rainfall totals Downeast will only accumulate up to another quarter of an inch at most. As the wet system works out, clearer skies will develop behind it. Low temps overnight will vary throughout the 30s with NW to West gusts reaching 20-30 mph. Some patchy frost is possible to the northwest where temps are at or just below freezing.

Monday will provide the return of sunshine for many, with temperatures also on the rise. Skies will be sunny to start early in the morning. However, clouds will build from the west to east, so by the late morning to midday hours, skies will be on the cloudier side with a few light and scattered showers possible. Most accumulations will be under a tenth of an inch. By the mid to late afternoon, skies will lighten up, becoming partly to mostly sunny. High temps will vary from the low 50s to mid 60s with breezy SW to West gusts reaching 20-30 mph. A Small Craft Advisory is likely offshore.

Tuesday will be the warmest day of the week, with highs warming up from the mid 50s to mid 70s. Skies will be partly to mostly sunny, but winds will be breezy, reaching 25-40 mph out of the SSW. However, conditions won’t be dry for all. A frontal system will enter northwestern Maine in the afternoon. Due to all the daytime heating and potential instability in the atmosphere, a few thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon and evening hours to the northwest of the interstate with clouds building in. Locations along the interstate and to the southeast should get by with dry conditions.

The frontal system that may provide thunderstorms across northwestern Maine on Tuesday evening, will likely become widespread across Maine on Wednesday. Skies are anticipated to be cloudy with rain showers across inland and northern locations becoming more consistent and widespread throughout the day, impacting the coast during the afternoon and evening. Highs will take a hit, from the low 50s to low 60s with SSW gusts remaining a bit breezy, reaching 20-30 mph.

There has been a lot of fluctuation and disagreement between models for precipitation on Thursday and Friday. Thursday has been trending drier, although it does look like showers are still possible in the morning on the coast from Wednesday’s system. Showers look to develop once again on Friday, but this time, they are more probable for inland locations. Temperatures will be a little cooler than average on both days, with most highs throughout the 50s. Winds will lighten up on Thursday, before becoming breezy once again on Friday.

As of now, next weekend is trending on the drier side, but precipitation does remain possible, around a 20% chance.

MONDAY: Highs from low 50s to mid 60s. Sunnier skies early. Building midday clouds with few scattered showers. More sunshine later in afternoon. SW/W gusts reach 20-30 mph.

TUESDAY: Highs from mid 50s to mid 70s. Partly to mostly sunny. Building PM clouds northwest with showers & thunderstorms developing. SSW gusts reach 25-40 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Highs from low 50s to low 60s. Cloudy with rain, becoming widespread by the afternoon hours. SSW gusts reach 20-30 mph.

THURSDAY: Highs from low 50s to low 60s. Mostly cloudy with a few rain showers possible, most probable along the coast. NW gusts reach 15-20 mph.

FRIDAY: Highs from upper 40s to upper 50s. Mostly cloudy with rain showers possible inland. Drier with more sunshine on the coast. NW gusts reach 20-30 mph.

SATURDAY: Highs from low 50s to low 60s. Partly to mostly sunny AM. Mostly cloudy PM. Few showers possible. WSW gusts reach 20-25 mph.