With the summer solstice around the corner, Maine will start heating up next week.
Heading into the weekend, temperatures Saturday will be in the low 80s for the Bangor region, with highs reaching mid to high 70s throughout much of the northern and eastern parts of the state as skies clear after scattered showers Friday, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service.
Conditions are expected to be sunny throughout the state Saturday, marking the second weekend in a row where most Mainers could experience mostly clear skies after months of rainy weekends.
Temperatures through Sunday will remain in the high 70s and low 80s, with some scattered showers and potential thunderstorms working northward through the day. Storms will likely build in southern regions early Sunday morning, but large storm systems are not expected to linger through the day.
Southern and western Maine will see a reprieve from Friday’s windy conditions on Saturday and Sunday, with 10 to 15 mph westerly winds expected.
Temperatures start heating up on Monday as a heat dome moves to the eastern part of the U.S. that is expected to raise dew points to potentially dangerous levels. As of Friday’s forecast, dew points are expected to reach the 60s with daytime temperatures climbing to the upper 80s and low 90s on Monday.
The dew point is expected to continue to climb on Tuesday, reaching the 70s, while daytime air temperatures will likely reach the 90s in many inland communities. If the dew point is 70 degrees and the air temperature reaches 90 degrees, it will feel like approximately 96 degrees, according to the NWS heat index calculator.
Record temperatures will likely be broken on Tuesday.
The heat dome weather system is expected to clear out starting Tuesday evening, but the outlook on when dew points and air temperatures will start to fall is not clear at this time.
People are urged to limit outdoor activities when possible and to check in with family members and neighbors who may be vulnerable to the heat when temperatures spike early next week.
