MAINE, USA — Memorial Day in Maine: the unofficial start of summer. The holiday weekend that everyone hopes will be warm and sunny, but sometimes comes in chilly and wet.
This year will be the latter. I know the timing is far from ideal, but at least this beneficial rain comes after a very long stretch of dry and sunny weather.
I also am somewhat optimistic that the pattern is fast enough to push most of the showers out by the afternoon on Monday, so at least you can fire the grill up for dinner. You might need to wear a jacket, but still...worth it to get to enjoy at least some time outside on this holiday weekend.
Just wanted to show this quickly - we do really need this rain. Deficits in some spots should get cut down by a third or even by a half, setting soil moisture up for better readings as we approach the start of summer.
Sunday morning actually looks decent. Clouds will build, especially in southwestern Maine, but showers mostly avoid us until after noon.
Northern and eastern Maine should see a bit of sunshine through the morning, helping bump temperatures up in those areas. Most will top out in the low to mid 50s, though.
The dynamics that drive our rainfall will bring bouts of heavy, steadier rain starting up Sunday evening. By 5 o'clock, rain will be spreading along the coastline and moving north. There will be heavier rain in New Hampshire, with the heaviest over the southern facing peaks.
The meteorology behind this is interesting:
- Plenty of forcing to keep the rain going
- Moisture transport into the region is quite high
- Upper level patterns will allow for consistent lift, meaning the rain will go on for quite some time
Rain keeps spreading north, with steady rain in Bangor happening between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. The only spots that will not have rain by sunset on Sunday will be along the Canadian border in Aroostook county.
But that will soon change, since rain keeps moving north.
Heavy rain will continue overnight. As sunrise approaches, there could be a few breaks in the rain, but there will still be quite a bit falling.
RELATED: Daily Maine Local Weather Forecast
The storm finally lets up around noon Monday. Western Maine could be dry before 2 p.m., with rain wrapping in Bangor an hour or two later.
With a bit of luck, some of the Memorial Day evening cookouts will be good to go!
These totals are going to be representative of just the rain that falls on Sunday and Monday. In other words, it's the rain that falls on top of what was recorded Saturday.
Most will see a solid 1-2" out of this, with a couple locally higher amounts mixed in. The best chance will be southern and southeast facing slopes.
Northern Maine currently looks to miss out on the heaviest rain, but there are some signals that the heaviest rain could end up passing through The County. For now, I'm thinking 0.5" to 1" is the most likely.
On the bright side, we can handle this much rain. Some of the typical poor drainage areas may see some standing water but rivers and streams should be just fine.
If this forecast is not your favorite, Tuesday will be gorgeous. Highs are back in the 70s with some sun.
For more forecast info, follow me on Twitter, @MikeSliferWX.