How Will This Weekend’s Early Season Nor’Easter Affect Maine?

Believe it or not, it looks like much of New England could be dealing with a weekend Nor'easter.

Yes, we typically think of Nor'Easters as being something that happens during the winter months, but the reality is that they can happen any time of the year, providing the conditions are right.

What is a Nor'Easter?

According to an article on the National Weather Service website, a Nor’easter is a powerful storm that develops along the East Coast, with winds typically blowing in from the northeast.  While they can happen year-round, these storms are most common and most intense from September through April.

Famous Nor’easters include the Blizzard of 1888, the Ash Wednesday storm of 1962, the Blizzard of 1978, the 1993 Superstorm, and Boston’s major snowstorms of 2015. Some have caused billions in damage, widespread disruption, and devastating coastal flooding.

How Will the Storm Affect Maine?

Weather.com shows that Central Maine will be blessed with a beautiful Friday.  It will be sunny with highs in the lower 70s.  However, that will change quickly.  It will cloud up on Friday night and we'll be dealing with rain and breezy conditions by midday on Saturday.  There'll be showers throughout the day on Sunday and Monday.  And, it looks like we could see the rain stick around through Tuesday morning.

In the Portland area, Friday will be decent.  Mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the upper 60s.  The rain will start on Saturday morning and stick around through Monday night.  It will be quite a bit more windy in the Southern Maine area.  Temperatures throughout the weekend will be in the lower 60s.  Winds will be around 20 MPH, but there could be higher gusts.

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In Mid-Coast Maine, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will be rainy.  The winds will be higher than normal, but manageable, for the most part.  Typical winds will be around 20 MPH.  Remember, higher gusts are possible.

ocean waves during day time

Coastal Maine Weather Warnings

It is important to remember that the conditions directly on the coast could be different than they are a few miles inland.  This is especially true in the Portland area.

WMTW is warning that the coast could see 35-45 MPH gusts and dangerously high waves.  Their meteorologists are also saying that we could see huge amounts of rainfall from the storm.

Of course, as is often the case, these forecasts could be updated as the weekend progresses.  Just be safe and use common sense.