It’s been a brutal stretch of cold, with back-to-back weekends that broke record low temperatures.

Say good-bye to the arctic air, for now.

Changing airmasses typically requires some sort of weather system. Our first look at milder weather coming back to Maine comes Monday.

A warm front will cross through the state with periods of light snow. These snow showers will be off and on, but will be enough to cause slippery spots as they pass through, especially during the afternoon and early evening. The highest amount of snow will fall in central and northern Maine, with most towns receiving between 1 and 3 inches. Parts of far northern Maine might see a bit more than that, while far southern areas will miss out on most of it.

On the back side of this system Tuesday, a gusty northwesterly wind will develop, but high temperatures will reach the 30s.

Wednesday looks quiet as high pressure settles overhead. It’ll be a seasonably cool day with highs in the upper 20s to low 30s.

Once this area of high pressure passes to our south, we’ll get a “return flow” from the southwest. This southwesterly wind will transport milder air into the region for Thursday and Friday.

Despite the milder air, we won’t have a ton of sunshine. In fact, a system that arrives Friday should be warm enough to bring all rain.

By the weekend, the forecast turns much more uncertain. Will warm air continue, or will cold return? A system on Saturday could be a messy mix, depending on its track. We’ll have updates on this one through the week.

Either way, once Saturday’s storm passes, it looks like a return to colder weather for the beginning of next week.

Ryan Breton
Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @RyanBretonWX.