Pre-Thanksgiving Nor’easter

You’d never know we have snow on the way by just looking at tonight’s temperatures.  A large portion of the state is experiencing late night temps in the upper 50s to around 60 degrees. In fact Portland broke a daily record high temperature for the date of 62 degrees at 10PM. Old record of 60 degrees set in 1999.
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One more mild  day is on tap for Tuesday and it will be nice to have some sun return.

Onto the wintery weather part of the forecast…. A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the entire region from Wednesday afternoon through late Wednesday night. It’s extended until Thursday morning for eastern Maine.
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Our storm system should track east of Nantucket which is a good track to keep cold air in place here in Maine.
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Precipitation should arrive mid-day through early afternoon for most towns on Wednesday. Initially temperatures may be warm enough to start precip as rain over southern and coastal areas but that should quickly change to snow.
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The heaviest snowfall should occur Wednesday evening through early Thursday morning. During that period some towns should pick up a half foot or more.
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Any steady snow should be ending early in the day and then we’ll be left with cloudy skies and breezy conditions for most of Thanksgiving Day.
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It’s still early to pinpoint snow accumulations as forecast models still show some minor differences in track.  Based on tonight’s forecast, it’s looking like a large portion of the state has the potential to pick up a half foot or more.  Stay tuned in the coming days for changes.
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HERE’S THE BREAKDOWN

Timing: 1PM Wednesday through 8AM Thursday

Precip Type: While some rain is possible at the onset, most areas should expect primarily snow.

Winds: Winds don’t look extreme, but NE to N winds may gust over 20 mph Wednesday night into early Thursday.

Flooding: Widespread coastal flooding is not expected, but some beach erosion and splash over can’t be ruled out.

Best Travel Time Wednesday and Thursday: 7AM- Noon Wednesday.  9AM – Evening Thursday.

Worst Travel Time Wednesday and Thursday:  1PM Wednesday through 7AM Thursday.

Charlie Lopresti

About Charlie Lopresti

Charlie makes up the "Weather Part" of CBS News 13s evening edition. A native New Englander, he grew up enjoying the area's exciting and sometimes wild weather.