High Wind in Maine, March 10, 2002

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
919 PM EST SAT MAR 9 2002

.UPDATED...
UPDATED TO FRESHEN WORDING.  WILL CARRY FOG WITH PATCHY DRIZZLE AS PRIMARY
WEATHER CONDITION THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT.  WILL BACK OFF A BIT ON
TEMPERATURE RISES.  EXPECT WARMER AIR TO REMAIN ALOFT UNTIL TOMORROW
MORNING AS THE WARM FRONT MOVES CLOSER TO LOCAL AREA.

.SYNOPSIS...
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE STATE LATE OVERNIGHT TRIGGERING RAIN
SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A THUNDERSTORM AFTER MIDNIGHT. THE COLD FRONT WILL
CROSS THE STATE SUNDAY MORNING WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING IN THE AFTERNOON
UNDER WINDY CONDITIONS. A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA WITH
CLEAR SKIES BUT BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES ON MONDAY.

.DISCUSSION...
18Z SURFACE ANALYSIS ALONG WITH SAT IMG AND RADAR INDICATES WARM FRONT
BETWEEN MLT AND HUL AND MOVING NE. 989MB LOW OVER LAKE SUPERIOR WITH STRONG
COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWARD.

WARM FRONT SHOULD CLEAR THE STATE BY THIS EVENING AND WITH SOUTHERLY FLOW
AT ALL LEVELS TEMPERATURES SHOULD CONTINUE TO CLIMB DURING THE NIGHT. COLD
FRONTAL SHOWERS SHOULD START TO ENTER WESTERN PART OF THE STATE AFTER
MIDNIGHT. SURFACE GRADIENT TIGHTENS AND WITH BOUNDARY LAYER AND 925 MB WINDS
INCREASING TO OVER 40 KTS...ALONG WITH ATMOSPHERE BECOMING MORE UNSTABLE
THROUGH THE NIGHT...FEEL WINDS MAY BE ABLE TO MIX DOWN TO AT LEAST WARRANT
A WIND ADVISORY ACROSS OUR CWA IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT. LITTLE IN
THE WAY OF CAPE WITH FRONT BUT LAPSE RATES BETWEEN H8-H5 LEVEL INDICATE
THE POSSIBILITY OF ELEVATED CONVECTION WITH FRONT SO WILL KEEP THE MENTION
OF THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE CWA.

STRONG FRONT WILL CROSS THE STATE BY NOONTIME SUNDAY. AS FRONT PUSHES
THROUGH IT APPEARS ENOUGH DRY AIR ALOFT WILL BE ABLE TO MIX DOWN TO ALLOW
FOR ONLY FLURRIES DURING THE AFTERNOON FOR NORTHERN AND CENTRAL SECTIONS.
EVEN THOUGH DOWNSLOPE SHOULD HELP TO CLEAR SKIES DOWNEAST...WITH MOIST LAYER
AT H8 LEVEL WILL GO WITH PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES FOR THE AFTERNOON. STRONG CAA
WILL CAUSE TEMPERATURES TO FALL DURING THE AFTERNOON UNDER STRONG WESTERLY
WINDS. ADVISORY WINDS OF UP TO 35 MPH WILL OCCUR WITH THE INITIAL SURGE OF
COLD AIR AND THEN PROBABLY DIMINISHED TO JUST BELOW ADVISORY LEVEL (<31 MPH)
FOR MOST OF THE AFTERNOON BUT AT THIS TIME WILL PUT THE ADVISORY OUT THROUGH
SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

SKIES CLEAR ACROSS OUR CWA SUNDAY NIGHT AS RIDGE CENTERED TO OUR SOUTH
BUILDS OVER NEW ENGLAND. WITH HIGH PRESSURE CENTERED TO OUR SOUTH...WINDS
WILL STAY UP THROUGH THE NIGHT SO WILL LEAN TOWARD THE WARMER MAV NUMBERS.
SUNNY BUT TEMPERATURES BELOW NORMAL ON MONDAY.

EXTENDED...A COUPLE OF SHORTWAVE TROUGHS MAY BRING LIGHT SNOW TO MAINE
ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...OTHERWISE NO BIG SYSTEMS THROUGH THE WEEK.

COASTAL WATERS...
WILL CONTINUE GALE WARNING WITH THIS PACKAGE.

.CAR...WIND ADVISORY FOR LATE OVERNIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON ALL ZONES.
       GLW.

NORTON/WALLINGFORD