November 25 – Will your Thanksgiving turkey come with a layer of snow?
It’s possible, but it’s still too early to say for sure whether Maine will be hit with a blast of winter weather during the holidays.
Meteorologists are keeping their eyes on a possible storm later this week, but there is uncertainty in the models about how that weather pattern will develop, said Jon Palmer, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Gray.
One model suggests a winter storm with several inches of snow inland and mountains, and rain on the coast, while the other shows a weather pattern that remains well offshore, with no precipitation on Thanksgiving. It’s also possible some snow will fall Friday and Saturday, Palmer said.
Palmer said people should keep a close eye on the weather forecast this week, especially if they are on vacation.
“This week looks like a potentially very active week,” he said. “I think a lot of people will be thinking about the possible Thanksgiving storm, but I would focus more on what could happen on Tuesday.”
Palmer said a light glaze of freezing rain is possible in inland Maine and New Hampshire, creating conditions that could be extremely dangerous for driving by midday.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for parts of western Maine, including Oxford, Franklin and Somerset counties, in effect Tuesday from 1 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Although ice amounts will be low, freezing rain is expected to fall on cold, bare pavement. This will lead to the formation of glazing ice on untreated roadways, leading to extremely hazardous travel conditions,” the advisory says. “Even light amounts of snow can accumulate on roadways and cause hazardous driving conditions due to snow-covered roads.”
The forecast for Thursday through the weekend should become much more accurate over the next two days, Palmer said.
“With Thanksgiving approaching, it is important for people to stay informed about weather forecasts, especially if they are traveling this week,” he said.
Any precipitation is welcome in areas where abnormally dry conditions have occurred.
New England has been experiencing drought this fall. Most of the region was still abnormally dry or experiencing moderate, severe or extreme drought on Thursday, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
About 70% of Maine was in drought conditions Thursday.
Much of northwestern, western, central and southern Maine, including Cumberland County, has experienced moderate drought, and much of the rest of the state has been abnormally dry. The southernmost tip of York County is experiencing a severe drought.
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