Maine is likely to see rain at least one day this weekend, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service.
If precipitation falls on either Saturday or Sunday this upcoming weekend, it will officially mark the 12th rainy weekend in a row. Through April and mid-May, the state saw more precipitation than usual, with an entire inch more than is typical for April.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Caribou, which covers the northern part of the state, expect the chance for showers mainly in Down East Maine on Saturday, and it is not yet clear if the weather system will move toward central and northern parts of the state.
Southern regions are most likely to see showers Saturday, according to the NWS office in Gray. About half an inch of rain is expected southwest of Dover-Foxcroft and Ellsworth, with rain persisting through Saturday evening into Sunday morning.
Skies on Thursday and Friday are expected to remain sunny, although daytime temperatures will drop Friday to the high 60s and low 70s, after temperatures in the 80s on Thursday.
According to state climatologist Sean Birkel, a cloud-causing low pressure system moving through the Northeast every few days throughout April and May has been responsible for continued rain on weekends.
Regions south of Maine, including New Hampshire and Connecticut, have consistently seen rain for more than a dozen weekends in a row. According to the National Climate Assessment, extreme precipitation events have increased by around 60 percent throughout the Northeast over the past seven decades, in part due to climate change.
On a positive note, the rain means that Maine may not see record-breaking heat this summer, after global temperatures reached an all-time high in 2024. Persistent cold fronts and low pressure systems will help to keep the heat from spiking this summer, but weather patterns remain unpredictable and may change as hurricane season heats up over the Atlantic Ocean through July and August.
