At last a pattern shift is in sight! The current scenario of Maine acting as a rain magnet with persistant low pressure nearby and afternoon showers and thunder is about to be replaced by just the opposite. And not a moment too soon!

The third full week of the month will feature drier west winds, much more sunshine and perhaps only one day of showers...what a relief. I hope that you can parse some vacation time next week to capitalize on our great summer weather, either in the mountains or at the beach.

This is the month of heat. The highest temps of the year are reached on average around the 25th of July. Portland maxxes out at 80, as well as Augusta; upper 70s Harpswell, mid 80s Sanford. Let us hope that humidity does not follow suit as June became a damp and humid month for all of southern Maine with above mormal rainfall and warmth.

We have passed an important milestone in terms of average overnight temps in Portland. Historically they will remain above 50 degrees and that promotes rapid growth of lawns and gardens. So if you have be waiting to plant the full docket of vegetables and herbs now is the time!

If we could only receive a decent soaking all would be perfect!

No, this is not a cry for help, but an expression of appreciation on this first of the month that the cold winter months are history for southernn Maine. In fact April was actually quite pleasant as Portland, for example averaged a full degree above normal with only a trace of snow. If not for the torrential rain at the end of the month it would have been quite dry.

The month of May is proving to be reluctant to respond to the intense spring sun above as temps will trend below normal into at least the second week.

Yes, they are still monsterous in many towns inland of the Turnpike. Perhaps you cannot ever recall just how tall they were at Easter (I certainly cannot). In fact the snowpack west of Portland is still greater than 2 ft. deep on the level. around the western shores of the Sebago Basin the snow is still nearly 40 inches deep...and solid as a rock! I foresee no major thaw for at least a week so it will be a very slow and steady reduction of our "little glacier".

Now that the stats are in for February you have got to marvel at the extremes of this winter....so far. The third wettest in over 137 years in Portland, and the fifth snowiest, with weeks to go! The pattern still remains active, many storms upstream, and I suspect that temps by and large will trend below normal into the 4th weekend of the month. One positive note for you...we are gaining nearly 3 minutes of potential sunshine every day. Old Sol is as strong now as it is in late September, so soak up the sun when it shines!

The incredibly active pattern has pushed seasonal snowfall totals in Portland to the max. As of Wednesday morning, 89+ inches places the Dec-Jan-Feb stretch at #6 out of 136 years of history!! And I expect another storm this weekend which will probably position this winter as the 4th snowiest in recorded history.

Incidentally this is the third wettest February Portand has experienced in 137 years. Global warming has most unusual consequences for Maine weather!

Following record warmth on President's Day we will feel a return of the arctic regime that was so predominant much of last month. And the storm track has pushed south, therefore a quiet week for the most part. This is a marked change from the spirit of the first half of the month as Portland has already been placed in the postion of the 7th wettest February in over 135 years.

Snowbanks were beginning to resemble the Rockies, and now will slowly shrink in mass.

The jet stream has taken up residency in the Northeast and will likely hold through the February vacation. Great news for skiers, riders, sledders, shredders and...perhaps private plowing outfits?

Portland has already received over 5 feet of snow for the season and will likely post unusually large totals for this month as well.

it is over. 

AT LEAST FOR THE SHORT TERM.

 jet stream retreating north, no significant snow in sight.

balmy through into early feb, pattern ramps up.

initially wet, eventually white.

skiers, riders, shredders: do not despair. your time will return.

Despite the foot of snow we received yesterday, the Freeport Flag ladies again take their weekly Tuesday trip to "the hill" in Freeport to wave their flags in support of their country and their troops.  They send a weekly inspiration by email every week just before they head out, I thought today as we shovel out from the storm we could pull from their faithful dedication and strong beliefs.

From Elaine Greene, of the Freeport Flag Ladies:

what a sweet snowstorm this past monday. from 10"-15" fell throughout southern Maine due to the "fluff factor". interestingly more snow accumulated south of the mountains ,yet ski resorts collected handsome amounts: read riding and sliding is superb once again. sharp reversals in our weather are likely through the rest of the week prior to the arrival of the coldest air of the winter!

What a remarkable contrast this record heat is compared to our ice storm exactly 10 years ago! Portland has already set a record high temperature today, Tuesday, near 60 degrees! adn to think that only a week ago we had to contend with daybreak readings below zero. Such is Maine weather, and it is bound to turn much colder. Skiers do not dispair, our turns on the mountain will be tracked on powder soon.

this storm is going to be quite a challenge to pinpoint its greatest impact. a narrow band of heavy snow will slowly progress accross southern ME tonight and tomorrow. where it hangs up...difficult to say at noon wednesday. yet some towns will collect up to 10" of fluff, while others snare only 4"-5".

stay glued to your set Thursday morning!

now that was sweet! 7"-11" of snow for skiers, riders, shredders! you must capitalize on this fluff THIS week as i foresee a potential thaw prior to Christmas. so if you love the powder, get out and romp right away! i shall be hopping on the skinny skies shortly myself.

first posting on the Fox23 blog.

i'd be happy to answer as many weather related questions that you have.

and i hope that you are eagerly anticipating the blockbuster Northeaster this sunday.

i certain am, as an avid skier.

so let it snow!!!

When I was a kid my grandmother had a Christmas cactus (not a holiday cactus) that was enormous.  I remember the thing planted in a giant pot right in front of her living room windows.  One year around Thanksgiving, I think I was about 8 years old, there were hundreds of blossoms on the thing (this thing was a good four or five feet in diameter).  I commented on how pretty it looked and she told me that if there are that many blossoms this early in the season (late Nov. to early Dec.) then we were going to have an unusually snowy winter.  We did.  During the following six or eight years I always checked the plant to see what kind of a winter we would be having.  Her contention about the early and many blossoms seemed to prove true, but then again, we used to have more snowy winters than we have now, so I'm not sure how scientific the whole idea is.  Well, this year my little struggling Christmas cactus is just laden with blossoms, two of which have pretty much finished their presentation, but just about every other branch on the plant has a little blossom ready to explode in a few days.  We already had more snow than we usually have before Christmas, and although I'm being careful not to get too excited about it, we may actually have a white Christmas here in southern Maine this year!  I'm wondering if any of you out there who have Christmas cacti could respond to this blog and let me know if yours is blossoming unusually heavily this year.  If so, let's track the weather this season and see if this is another wive's tale we can prove is true or false.  Thanks for your time.  After this "experiment" we'll try another wive's tale and see if we can prove or disprove it.  Any ideas?

Winter is upon us.... got to love the snow, cold, and freezing pipes... but then again maybe thats just me.