St. John Valley weather for Aug. 23-29, 2023

Joseph E. Becker, Special to The County
9 months ago

3-Day Outlook: Wednesday, Aug. 23 – Friday, Aug. 25

High pressure slides east from the Great Lakes today into Thursday while a weak cold front drops down from the north across the Valley tonight. Mostly sunny skies are expected today with a chance of isolated afternoon showers as the front approaches this afternoon. Clear skies return Wednesday night with light northwest winds. Highs are expected in the low 70s today with lows tonight in the mid-40s. 

High pressure moves into the Maritimes Thursday maintaining mostly sunny skies for the Saint John Valley. Daytime highs reach the low 70s once more. Thursday night, partly cloudy skies develop as a warm front lifts towards the region from southern New England. Some isolated showers are possible after midnight with little in the way of measurable rainfall expected. Overnight lows fall into the mid-50s.

As low pressure tracks east in southern New England, a cold front moves towards the region from Hudson Bay crossing the Valley Friday night. Showers are expected to develop Friday morning then a steady rain Friday afternoon across Fort Kent and vicinity. Southerly winds pick up with gusts in the 20-25 mph range possible. Rainfall totals in the 0.10 to 0.25-inch range are currently anticipated. Friday night, rain is likely to continue into early Saturday morning. Fort Kent’s high tops out in the middle 60s Friday with an overnight low in the mid-50s.

National Weather Service Caribou 

Daily Forecast Summary for Fort Kent and vicinity

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72. West wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tonight: Isolated showers before 11 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 46. Northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 73. North wind 3 to 5 mph.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. Southeast wind 3 to 5 mph.

Friday: A chance of showers, mainly between 11am and 3pm, then rain likely after 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. South wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Rain. Low around 56. South wind 8 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80 percent. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible. 

4- to 7-Day Outlook: Saturday, Aug. 26 – Tuesday, Aug. 29 

Rain Saturday morning tapers to showers in the afternoon with mostly cloudy skies. Scattered showers are expected Saturday night as high pressure builds in from Québec.  A closed upper-low centered near the Gaspé keeps partly sunny skies and a chance for scattered showers in Fort Kent and vicinity Sunday. 

Partly cloudy skies develop Sunday night as the upper low moves away and high pressure continues to build into the region. Isolated showers taper off by early Monday. High pressure then dominates Monday and Tuesday with partly cloudy skies. Clouds increase Tuesday night as a cold front approaches from the Great Lakes.

Saturday: Rain likely before 7 a.m., then a chance of showers after 7 a.m.. Patchy fog before 9 a.m.. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. North wind 6 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 30 percent.

Sunday Night: A slight chance of showers before 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. Chance of precipitation is 20 percent.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 73.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 50.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.

8- to 14-Day Trends: Wednesday, Aug. 30 –  Tuesday, Sept. 5

Source: Climate Prediction Center

Near normal temperatures / Near normal precipitation

Note: Computer model precision diminishes the further into the week the forecast projects. Check The County.me or the National Weather Service, Caribou for weather updates with more current information for the Saint John Valley.

The Week Ahead is the work of UMFK Professor Joseph E. Becker based on personal weather station data, various computer forecast models, and information that the National Weather Service, NOAA, and other weather resources provide.