AFDCAR AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 314 PM EDT FRI JUL 8 2011 .SYNOPSIS... A WEAK TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH TONIGHT WITH ONE SMALL LOW PASSING BY TO THE NORTH AND ANOTHER WELL TO OUR SOUTH. HIGH PRESSURE WILL FOLLOW FOR THE WEEKEND. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE AWAY TONIGHT AS CLOUDS THICKEN AHEAD OF A WEAK TROUGH MOVING IN FROM THE WEST. GUIDANCE STILL SHOWS TWO LOW CENTERS WITH THIS TROUGH...ONE TO OUR NORTH ACROSS QUEBEC AND ANOTHER MOVING OFF THE MID ATLANTIC COAST. MOST OF THE RAINFALL WITH THIS TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO BE CONCENTRATED NEAR THE LOW CENTERS TO OUR NORTH AND SOUTH WITH VERY LITTLE IN BETWEEN SO ONLY MENTIONING SCATTERED SHOWERS FOR LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING. MODELS SHOW SOME ELEVATED CAPE LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING SO MENTIONED ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGHOUT THE AREA OVERNIGHT. GUIDANCE THEN SHOWS A BIT STRONGER CAPE DOWNEAST DURING THE MIDDAY ON SATURDAY. SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS THE TROUGH HANGS BACK OVER DOWNEAST AREAS THROUGH MIDDAY SATURDAY. DRIER AIR SHOULD FOLLOW WITH CLEARING SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS THE TROUGH CONTINUES EAST AND AWAY. SOME CUMULUS WILL BUBBLE UP ACROSS NORTHERN AND CENTRAL AREAS ON SATURDAY. && .SHORT TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY WILL BE DRY WITH THE REGION BETWEEN SYSTEMS. MODELS DIFFER FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY. NAM BRINGS A SHORTWAVE ACROSS THE REGION WITH STRONGEST IMPACTS FROM ISENTROPIC LIFT ACROSS THE CROWN OF MAINE SUNDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT...THEN QUICKLY MOVING THAT SHORTWAVE EAST-NORTHEAST. THERE APPEARS TO BE SOMEWHAT OF A DISCONNECT AS THE ISENTROPIC LIFT PROGGED IS STRONGER THAN WOULD BE THOUGHT LOOKING AT THE VORTICITY FIELD ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SHORTWAVE. ECMWF IS SIMILAR BUT NOT QUITE AS STRONG. THE GFS HOLDS OFF ON PRECIP UNTIL MONDAY...WITH BEST JET DYNAMICS HOLDING OFF UNTIL MONDAY NIGHT. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE REGION OF ISENTROPIC LIFT MODELS DO NOT SHOW A STRONG SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW AT 500MB UNTIL LATE MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. HAVE BUMPED UP POPS SLIGHTLY ACROSS FAR NORTHWEST MAINE SUNDAY NIGHT...WITH SLIGHT/LOW CHANCE POPS ACROSS THE REST OF MAINE DURING THE DAY MONDAY. SOUTHWESTERLY-WESTERLY WINDS IN THE LOWER LEVELS...AND ASSOCIATED WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL PUSH AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 70S AND 80S. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... THE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN THE LONG TERM PERIOD. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO CROSS THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY MORNING. IT SEEMS AS IF THE INSTABILITY WILL LAST THROUGH THE NIGHT ON MONDAY SO WILL CARRY THUNDERSTORMS MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. THE UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WILL BE THERE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ALL MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THE THREAT SHOULD BEGIN IN THE NORTHWEST ZONES MONDAY EVENING THEN PROGRESS ACROSS THE STATE MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY. RIGHT NOW THE MAIN THREAT FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL BE STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WINDS WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT FORM AHEAD OF THE FRONT AS WELL AS WITH A POSSIBLE LINE OF STORMS WITH THE FRONT ITSELF. THE TIMING OF THIS FRONT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN HOW INTENSE THESE STORMS CAN GET. IF THE FRONT SLOWS AND CROSSES THE STATE IN THE AFTERNOON TUESDAY ALLOWING FOR MORE HEATING THE STORMS COULD BE MORE INTENSE. THE OPPOSITE SHOULD HAPPEN IF THE FRONT MOVES THOUGH EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. THIS WILL HAVE TO BE WATCHED IN FUTURE FORECAST CYCLES. AFTER THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH ON TUESDAY...HIGH PRESSURE MOVES IN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK BRINGING US PLEASANT WEATHER. && .AVIATION /18Z FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... NEAR TERM: VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY INTO TONIGHT. SHORT TERM: OUTSIDE OF ANY THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY...PREDOMINATELY VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED THROUGH THE 00Z SUNDAY TO 00Z MONDAY TIME FRAME. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: WINDS AND SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO BE BELOW SCA TODAY AND TONIGHT. SHORT TERM: NO ISSUES EXPECTED SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY. BY MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...WAVE HTS WILL PROBABLY EXCEED SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CRITERIA WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && $$ NEAR TERM...BLOOMER