The beat goes on with regard to high pressure, sunshine and dry conditions in what’s been a very dry and very warm southern Maine summer for the past three months. I don’t see any significant rain in the forecast for the next 7 to 10 days unless a tropical system throws us a surprise. That is always possible this time of year, so stay tuned.

As Gaston has churned out in the Atlantic it has roughed up the seas a bit. If you are going to the ocean you’ll want to take a bit more caution when swimming and keep an even closer eye on children. Rip currents can come up very suddenly and in spite of a nearly cloudless sky a storm hundreds of miles away can affect our beaches. That’s about the only issue I see with regard to any weather problems.

Temperatures and humidity have been lower than yesterday when it felt a bit uncomfortable. Tomorrow a cold front will be far to our west, but a southerly flow of more humid air and warmer temperatures means it’s back to the feeling of mid-summer, with highs getting well into the 80s. There could be a few showers or even a thundershowers tomorrow night and again Thursday as this front gets closer and then eventually passes off the coast. Behind it, a new dry air mass will take over and bring us into and through the upcoming holiday weekend. At first it will feel fall-like in the morning Friday and Saturday, but as the air mass modifies, it will become warmer and once again more humidity and some heat look to return in the days following Labor Day.

Hot Summer of  2016

It’s not surprising the heat is likely going to come back next week. This will likely end up the warmest summer since records moved to the Portland Jetport. Additionally, this August will also end up the warmest since that time. The official numbers won’t be in until Thursday, but with highs in the 80s tomorrow it’s basically a lock.

Records used to be kept in downtown Portland, not at the Jetport. These started in the late 1800s although records can be found for Maine largest city as far back as the 1700s. Thermometers were not as accurate back then and the locations moved around the city of Portland. Even when readings initially began being taken at the airport they were moved. In December 1940, the thermometer was moved to its present location.

August of 1937 was warmer than this year and the summers (June to August) of 1882 and 1876 also will end up averaging higher. In the modern era, this is the warmest summer since 2010.