Snow showers and more cold weather coming to Maine this week

After last week’s first snowstorm and record-breaking temperatures, Maine can expect lighter snow showers and nearly as frigid temperatures in the days ahead.

Sunday evening, an area of ​​low pressure will likely bring 1 to 2 inches of snow to interior Maine, north of Portland, said meteorologist Jon Palmer of the National Weather Service in Gray.

Snow squalls are possible in the Lakes Region and Oxford and Franklin counties overnight, but the snow likely won’t impact commutes Monday morning, Palmer predicted.

Two more midweek systems will likely bring snow showers across the Northeast. Flakes will likely fall Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, Palmer said, dropping a few more inches of snow on Maine.

“We’re expecting lots of light snow events through the rest of the week, but nothing really significant,” Palmer said.

The low pressure system causing snow Sunday evening is expected to be followed by a high pressure system, with northwest winds bringing a blast of cold air to Maine. Statewide, low temperatures will reach the single digits Monday evening. The forecast low for Portland Monday evening is 3 degrees and minus 1 in Rangeley.

“The breezy winds we see during the day tomorrow will be the movement of this cold air mass into our area,” Palmer said.

Clear skies and a blanket of fresh snow Monday night contribute to the cold, because the earth radiates heat absorbed during the day more efficiently into the atmosphere under those conditions, Palmer said.

Despite these very low temperatures, Palmer said it was unlikely records would be set like they were last week.

Other systems bringing snow Tuesday through Thursday will expel some of that cold air, allowing temperatures to rise throughout the week.