Snow Showers Expected Tomorrow Afternoon, with Dangerous Wind Chills Friday & Saturday

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - Good evening everyone and happy Wednesday. I’ve had a lot of folks reach out and ask about snowfall so far this season, so I’ve updated the snow total tracker for this season. So far, we’re sitting at 6 feet of snow exactly so far this season. This is a bit above the average snowfall, but also remember that a lot of that snow melted earlier in the season. Right now, we have 26 inches of snow packed in here in caribou, with no major systems in the forecast looking to make a big dent in that number.

This evening’s weather setup shows the area of high pressure that has been in control of our weather continuing to make its way off the coast of the state. This will allow for a low-pressure system and cold front to move through the region tomorrow, leaving us with increasing clouds and snow shower chances by tomorrow evening. After that, winds shift into the northwest, and allow for a chunk of arctic air to move over the region, bringing some of the coldest temperatures we’ve seen in years to the county by early saturday morning.

With some cloud cover expected to remain in place tonight, low temperatures look to fall back into the single digits below and above zero county-wide. Southwesterly winds look to remain light, will also help keep wind chills closer to actual air temperatures.

Tomorrow starts off with some breaks in the clouds, before cloud cover fills back in by early afternoon. This will leave us with snow showers beginning over western parts during the early afternoon, with snow showers spreading east for everyone by the mid to late afternoon. This activity will continue into the evening but looks to taper off before midnight with the passage of the cold front. After that, winds shift into the northwest and arctic air begins to stream into the region. Snowfall potential with this system won’t be much, with the best chances for accumulations being over northern and western parts of the county. I’m not expecting much, with a couple of inches at most possible through Friday morning. Winds on the back edge of this system will make it difficult to measure the snow, as blowing snow will continue to be a concern Friday and possibly into saturday.

Because of the blowing snow risk, the National Weather Service has placed the county under a Winter Storm Watch going through early saturday morning due to the risk of blowing snow and slippery travel. Make sure to use caution if you do have to travel going into the first part of the weekend and leave yourself plenty of extra time to get where you’re trying to go.

Colder air is expected to enter the region from Canada for the end of the work week. This cool air pool breaks off from an arctic air mass and moves over the region thanks to northwesterly winds Friday. This cold air pool continues to sit over the region as strong northwesterly winds continue Friday night and into the early morning hours of saturday. With strong winds and bitter cold air, wind chills will be a big concern both Friday and saturday. The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Watch for the entire county beginning early Friday morning and continuing through saturday evening. While winds eventually lighten up during the day saturday, wind chills will still be a big concern during the day Saturday.

For more details on the forecast, make sure to check out this evening’s Weather on the Web Video Forecast. Have a great evening!

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