Cape Elizabeth ME to Merrimack River MA Marine Forecast
| Tonight...S Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming Sw Towards Daybreak. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: Se 4 Ft At 9 Seconds And S 3 Ft At 4 Seconds. |
| Fri...W Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming S 15 To 20 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: S 3 Ft At 5 Seconds And Se 3 Ft At 9 Seconds. A Chance Of Rain In The Afternoon. |
| Fri Night...Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 30 Kt. Seas 4 To 6 Ft. Wave Detail: S 5 Ft At 5 Seconds And Se 4 Ft At 9 Seconds. Rain Likely. |
| Sat...Nw Winds 10 To 15 Kt. Seas 4 To 6 Ft. Wave Detail: S 5 Ft At 7 Seconds And Se 5 Ft At 9 Seconds. |
| Sat Night...Nw Winds 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 20 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: Se 4 Ft At 8 Seconds And W 3 Ft At 3 Seconds. |
| Sun...S Winds 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 20 Kt. Seas 3 To 4 Ft. Wave Detail: Sw 3 Ft At 4 Seconds And Se 2 Ft At 8 Seconds. A Chance Of Rain And Snow. Vsby 1 To 3 Nm. |
| Sun Night...E Winds 10 To 15 Kt, Becoming Ne 15 To 20 Kt After Midnight. Gusts Up To 30 Kt. Seas 3 To 5 Ft. Rain Likely. Snow Likely After Midnight. Vsby 1 To 3 Nm. |
| Mon...Ne Winds 20 To 25 Kt, Becoming N 15 To 20 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 4 To 6 Ft. Rain And Snow Likely, Mainly In The Morning. Vsby 1 To 3 Nm. |
| Mon Night...N Winds 20 To 25 Kt With Gusts Up To 30 Kt. Seas 5 To 8 Ft. |
| Tue...Nw Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 30 Kt, Diminishing To 10 To 15 Kt With Gusts Up To 20 Kt In The Afternoon. Seas 5 To 7 Ft. |
| Tue Night...Sw Winds 15 To 20 Kt With Gusts Up To 30 Kt. Seas 4 To 6 Ft. |
| Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gray ME 714pm EDT Thu Mar 19 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... An area of light snow is continuing to slowly exit NH and into western ME at this hour. There remains some dry air in place and most of this snow appears to be confined to the higher terrain but some gradual moistening of the column will likely allow for at least flurries in many locations, especially from the Lakes Region and points north. This is not being well captured by latest hi-res guidance and therefore manually increased PoPs. Otherwise, the forecast remains largely on track. Active pattern will bring at least two systems across the region from late Friday through Monday morning. While rain will be the dominant precipitation type south of the foothills, model solutions have trended colder with more available moisture. Chances for accumulating snow have increased for Sunday into Monday system with impacts possible to both commutes. .KEY MESSAGES... 1. A cold front cross tonight bringing scattered snow showers followed by a wave of low pressure crossing Friday afternoon into Saturday morning. A few inches of snow in the mountains could bring some slick travel in the mountains Friday evening. 2. Active weather continues Sunday into next week with multiple chances for widespread precipitation. The system Sunday into Monday could bring accumulating snowfall to much of the region. Amounts are uncertain, but impacts to the Monday morning and evening commutes are possible. KEY MESSAGE 1 DESCRIPTION... Onshore flow ahead of a cold front had produced a localized band of ocean effect snow in the vicinity of Sagadahoc and Kennebec Counties for much of the morning. Latest radar trends show this band is weakening while surface temperatures have warmed to near or above freezing. Therefore, little in the way of additional snow accumulations are expected with this feature. As the cold front crosses overnight there will be chances for scattered snow showers, mainly in the mountains. Friday will start off mostly dry with partly to mostly sunny skies. Clouds will quickly increase west to east Friday morning as a wave of low pressure tracks east out the Great Lakes. This low will track across the forecast area Friday night and quickly exits Saturday morning. Temperatures will rise into the 30s north of the mountains and into the 40s south of the mountains before precipitation begins Friday afternoon. Precipitation will likely be rain along and south of the foothills through Friday night. However, some dynamic cooling may allow for rain to change to snow across portions of Androscoggin, Kennebec, and northern Waldo Counties that could bring some slick travel Friday evening. In the mountains and points north precipitation will likely stay all snow with a couple inches possible down to the valley floors and several inches above 2500 feet. Dry air aloft will work into the DGZ Friday night that may allow for patchy freezing drizzle across the mountains and north into Saturday morning while confidence is not high enough to put this in the gridded forecast. Drier air arrives Saturday allowing for clearing skies. KEY MESSAGE 2 DESCRIPTION... Global models show a busy 500mb wave pattern from Saturday night into next week with a quick progression of shortwaves and ridges crossing through the Northeast. The next system of interest is Sunday into Monday with a strong signal in the ensemble guidance for widespread precipitation as low pressure crosses the Great Lakes and heads for New England. There's still timing discrepancies in onset/end times and does have potential to be longer duration, so the NBM Probability of Precipitation covering a larger time window of 40-70% seem reasonable. For Sunday, precipitation type favors snow in and around the mountains with both rain and snow possible to the south, but colder air working in as winds turn more north to northeast could change this to all snow later in the day into Sunday night and Monday. Depending on the track of the low it's possible somewhere will see a period of sleet or freezing rain as well. While it's too early to pinpoint amounts, there's increasing potential for accumulating snowfall as ensemble means for Quantitative Precipitation Forecast are on the order of 0.25" to 0.75". We'll see how models trend in the coming days, but impacts to both Monday commutes are on the table, especially the morning. Based on latest guidance, precipitation should come to an end Monday night with shortwave ridging building in for Tuesday bringing mostly dry conditions. Another wave brings a chance for lighter precipitation Tuesday night or Wednesday followed by with what looks to be a wetter system and a better chance for widespread precipitation approaching the region around next Thursday. Marine Winds and seas remain below SCA (Small Craft Advisory) thresholds through Friday morning. Southerly flow increases ahead of an area of low pressure Friday afternoon shifting to the northwest Saturday morning. SCA (Small Craft Advisory) conditions will exist from Friday afternoon through Saturday. SCA (Small Craft Advisory) conditions are possible from Sunday into Tuesday as low pressure crosses New England and then lifts into the Canadian Maritimes. There remains uncertainty in the track and timing of the low, and a period of gales can't completely be ruled out. The pattern remains active toward the middle and and later parts of next week with a couple of additional potentially bringing more increased winds and seas. NOAA Gray/Portland ME Office - Watches - Warnings - Advisories ME...None. NH...None. Marine Small Craft Advisory from 5pm Friday to 8pm EDT Saturday for ANZ150-152-154. |
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