FXUS61 KGYX 240239
AFDGYX

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
939 PM EST WED DEC 23 2009

.SYNOPSIS...
LOW PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO LINGER OVER THE AREA THROUGH FRIDAY AS
HIGH PRESSURE GRADUALLY BUILDS OVER NEW ENGLAND FROM THE WEST.
HIGH PRESSURE WILL SHIFT OFFSHORE FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY AS A
TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. LOW PRESSURE
WILL CROSS THE REGION ON SUNDAY AND WILL INTENSIFY OVER EASTERN
QUEBEC ON MONDAY. AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION
MONDAY NIGHT WITH A STRONG NORTHWEST FLOW SETTING UP IN IT'S WAKE
ON TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE REGION WEDNESDAY AND 
THURSDAY.

&&

.NEAR TERM /UNTIL 7 AM THURSDAY MORNING/...
THE UPPER LOW HAS DROPPED TO OUR SOUTHEAST ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY...
ALLOWING THE SURFACE TROUGH AND MOISTURE PLUME OVER NORTHERN MAINE
TO SLIDE FURTHER SOUTH. RADAR COVERAGE HAS EXPANDED A BIT PAST FEW
HOURS AND EXPECT WE WILL SEE SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATION ACROSS NORTHERN
AND EASTERN SECTIONS BEFORE THE PRECIPITATION AREA SHIFTS OFFSHORE
IN THE PREDAWN AREAS. AS WAS THE CASE LAST EVENING...SPOTTY FREEZING
DRIZZLE WAS OCCURRING OVER CENTRAL AND MID COAST MAINE. TEMPERATURES
ARE TRENDING A FEW DEGREES COOLER THEN EXPECTED...AND I ADJUSTED
BOTH HOURLY AND MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FIELDS DOWN IN 1ST PERIOD.  

PREV DISC...
UPPER LEVEL LOW PARKED OVER NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND THIS AFTERNOON.
COLD AIRMASS IN PLACE WITH DECENT SNOW FALLING OVER NORTHERN
MAINE. THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE OR NO SNOW FALLING ACROSS SOUTHERN
MAINE AND NEW HAMPSHIRE...WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOME UPSLOPE SNOW.
THE LOW PRESSURE WILL BE SLOW TO MIGRATE TO THE SOUTH AND EAST
TONIGHT. AS IT MOVES OFF TO THE EAST THE FLOW WILL TURN MORE
NORTHERLY. WINDS SHOULD SHIFT MORE NORTHERLY WHEN THIS HAPPENS.
GOOD MOMENTUM TRANSFER FROM COLD AIR ADVECTION SHOULD PRODUCE SOME
GUSTY CONDITIONS ALONG THE COAST TOWARD MORNING.

&&

.SHORT TERM /7 AM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH 6 PM THURSDAY/...
WEAK UPSLOPE MAY OCCUR OVER THE MOUNTAINS...PRODUCING SOME SNOW
SHOWERS. THE ONLY OTHER AREA OF CONCERN WILL BE THE WINDS.
PRESSURE GRADIENT AND COLD AIR ADVECTION WILL COMBINE TO PRODUCE
SOME GUSTY WINDS NEAR THE COAST THROUGHOUT THE DAY. EXPECT GUSTS
TO AROUND 30MPH. OTHERWISE...THE UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL DRAG SOME
CLOUDS INTO THE REGION FROM THE NORTH AND WEST AS IT PULLS
OFFSHORE.

&&

.LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/...
HIGH PRESSURE NOSES IN THURSDAY NIGHT WITH CLEARING SKIES AND WENT
BELOW GUIDANCE FOR LOW TEMPS. 

CHRISTMAS DAY LOOKS REAL NICE WITH HIGHS MOSTLY IN THE 30S AND
PARTLY TO MOSTLY SUNNY. CLOUDS START INCREASING LATE IN THE DAY
WITH LOWERING AND THICKENING CLOUDS FRIDAY NIGHT.

FOR SATURDAY MODELS ARE SIMILAR AND BRING OCCLUDED FRONT TOWARD
THE FA WITH INCREASING POPS. EXPECT SNOW TO BREAK OUT FROM SW TO
NE DURING THE DAY. PRECIP WILL CHANGE TO RAIN AT COAST FIRST AND
GRADUALLY MIX WITH SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN IN THE INTERIOR AND
MTNS. THERE COULD BE A PROLONGED PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN IN THE
INTERIOR LOCATIONS SATURDAY NIGHT. PRECIPITATION CHANGES BACK TO
SNOW SHOWERS SUNDAY. LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO SE CANADA AND DEEPENS
MONDAY AND USHERS IN ARCTIC COLD TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY.

&&

.AVIATION /02Z THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY/...
SHORT TERM /THROUGH 23Z THURSDAY/...AREAS OF MVFR OVERNIGHT IN
CLOUDS/SNOW SHOWERS/ AND PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE. EXPECT VFR
CONDITIONS ON THURSDAY.

LONG TERM...VFR THROUGH EARLY SAT. IFR SAT AFTN THRU SUN MORN. VFR
SUN AFTN THROUGH MON.

&&

.MARINE...
SHORT TERM /THROUGH THURSDAY/...WINDS WILL INCREASE TOWARD MORNING...WITH
SMALL CRAFT CONDITIONS EXPECTED FROM DAWN THROUGH EARLY EVENING.
EXPECT GUSTS IN THE MORNING OF 25 TO 30 KT. WINDS WILL SLOWLY
DECREASE DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON.

LONG TERM...NO FLAGS THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SAT MORN. SCA/GALE MAY
BE REQUIRED AS OCCLUSION APPROACHES SAT AFTN INTO SUN MORN ON AN
E TO SE FLOW. SCA PSBL SUN AFTN AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE.

&&

.GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ME...NONE.
NH...NONE.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM 5 AM TO 7 PM EST THURSDAY FOR 
     ANZ150>154.

&&

$$
SYNOPSIS...
NEAR TERM...
SHORT TERM...
LONG TERM...
AVIATION...
MARINE...