The good news about the upcoming holiday weekend is it won’t rain very much, the bad news, if you like heat, there won’t be any of that.

Advertisers might kick off summer this weekend, but the atmosphere has a different idea.  While we have had warm and sunny Memorial Day weekends in the past and it’s even been quite warm as  recently as a year ago when Portland reached 87 to start the holiday weekend, but the cool stuff is actually more normal.

Overnight a strong piece of energy passed through New England on its journey northward. It’s worth looking at this on the water vapor loop below. You can see how the system was rapidly moving north overnight and that’s what brought the heavy rain and thunderstorms which will leave the area after this morning.  Storms are what I like to call mixing machines, attempting to balance the atmosphere by bringing warm and cold air together.  The swirl below clearing shows this process occurring.

A strong upper level system brought heavy rain to Maine Friday.

RAIN ENDING

The clouds are going to linger  through Friday even as the rain ends this afternoon with just leftover showers. My concern for Saturday, is cloudiness.  It won’t rain tomorrow, I am confident of this, but how much clearing we see, especially along the coastline is questionable.  It will be milder with highs in the 60s to lower 70s inland, but just not totally sunny.

The latter part of Saturday should also be the sunniest as the onshore flow relaxes a bit.

Milder conditions return Saturday with highs back in the 60s with some areas near 70 well inland.

BEST DAY IS IN THE MIDDLE

Sunday is the pick of the weekend.  I told folks yesterday to do their holiday barbecues on Sunday for this reason.  Temperatures will again be warmest inland reaching the low to even middle 70s, but remain in the 60s at the coastline.

MORE RAIN MEMORIAL DAY

Another weather system approaches for Monday with clouds and and showers.  It will be cool again because of the lack of sunshine.  This weather system pushes in during the afternoon.  There may be some dry hours to start the day and if the weak storm slows a bit we could get through much of Monday dry.   I don’t see a major pattern change yet, so showers and coolish weather remain in the forecast after the holiday. Have a great weekend.

You can follow my updates here and on Twitter @growingwisdom.