Summer heat returns Tuesday, more rain at the end of the week

This Fourth of July weekend will go down as one of the soggiest and coolest Independence Days that Maine has seen.

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In Portland, 2021 will take the cake as the third coolest July 4th on record. Bangor is similar, coming in at second place with an official high temperature below 60°. For reference, high temperatures are typically in the upper 70s for this time of year.

Rain totals were pretty high, too, with Portland receiving almost an inch of rain. Some areas in eastern Maine ended up with over 3″ from this storm. The drought monitor should be much improved later this week!

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Enough of that, though.

Southwest wind on Monday will usher high temperatures into the 70s at the coastline, near 80° inland.

Expect a mix of sun and clouds.

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A warm front will roll through late Monday into Tuesday, bringing clouds and some showers with it.

Heat and humidity return, with temperatures jumping high into the 80s.

If we can clear the morning clouds quickly enough, a few towns inland might even hit 90°.

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This warm, humid day will prime the atmosphere for some thunderstorms as a cold front approaches in the evening.

Right now, the severe weather threat is generally low. However, with this much energy in the atmosphere, it’s always possible that a storm may pulse to severe limits.

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Humidity lingers on Wednesday, with partly sunny skies and high temperatures in the 80s.

It looks like a pretty nice day, all things considered. Very typical for this time of year. Enjoy!

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At the time of writing this article, Tropical Storm Elsa is forecast to move into the eastern Gulf of Mexico and then curve out to sea south of New England.

Generally, the threat for any impacts related directly to Elsa is low.

However, this track means moisture will get pushed up the eastern seaboard at the end of the week.

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Shower chances increase at the end of the week.

Timing isn’t completely nailed down yet, but the best chance for rain will come on Thursday and lingers into Friday.

The weekend is actually trending drier, which would be nice after this wet week.