PORTLAND, Maine — Arctic air has arrived in Maine. Some of the coldest air in years is in store for Friday night and into Saturday with wind chill predictions approaching all-time records in many locations.
Luckily, the cold ends quickly and we will be back in the 30s on Sunday.
Temperatures will start out in the single digits, and fall all through the day. We’ll be below zero in many locations by the middle of the afternoon.
Wind chills will also get progressively colder — starting out between -10 to -25 in the morning, dropping to -20 to -40 by the evening.
Friday night will be the coldest night in southern Maine in at least 5 years. With the wind, the well-below-zero temperatures will feel brutal.
FRIDAY NIGHT:
Some of the coldest temperatures seen in years in parts of Maine are in store Friday night. Actual air temperatures will drop from -15 to -25 across the state.
If Portland manages to drop to -18 or colder, it will be the coldest temperature since 1994.
Winds will also remain very gusty, which will keep our feels-like temperatures in the range of -35 to -55 degrees.
Winds will remain very gusty heading into tonight. Gusts up to 40mph will keep wind chills dangerous through Saturday afternoon.
These wind chills also have not been seen in many years for much of Maine.
The all time coldest wind chill in Portland of -41 is in jeopardy as well on Friday night.
Friday night we will likely threaten the all-time coldest wind chill in Portland history of -41 degrees. A very good chance we break the record.
SATURDAY:
The cold continues Saturday. After a start well below zero, highs will remain in the single digits all afternoon.
Winds will be breezy, and wind chills will remain well below zero all day.
Peak wind chills will range from around -40 at the coast to -60 in the mountains. This could lead to frostbite in as little as 5 minutes.
The arctic blast is over by Sunday, and after a cold start in the single digits both above and below zero, high should reach the middle and even upper 30s by the afternoon.
We may see a 50- to 60-degree temperature range in many towns just this weekend.
Brutally cold Friday and Saturday, and then just as quickly as the arctic air arrives, it’s gone by Sunday. Highs return to the middle and upper 30s.
Next week looks quiet and mild. Highs will be in the 30s and 40s, with our next rain and snow chance Tuesday into Wednesday of next week.
