We badly need rain, as deficits so far this fall are running nearly seven inches in much of the state. Unfortunately, there isn’t a ton of rain in the forecast over the next several days. However, there is a system we are watching for Friday into Saturday.

High pressure from Canada is bringing us our first real dose of fall chill. High temperatures on Thursday will again be in the lower half of the 40s.

A large storm offshore starts to back toward Nova Scotia and New England on Friday. We won’t see a ton of precipitation, but how quickly it approaches and how far west it gets will determine how much we pick up.

Friday morning starts with sunshine in southern and western Maine. Clouds will quickly increase, and a few showers are possible, mainly later in the day. It’s a bit more complicated in eastern and northern Maine, where the precipitation will arrive sooner. If it begins around daybreak, temperatures will be near freezing, and there could be some areas of freezing rain, especially in Aroostook and Washington counties. As temperatures rise through the morning, any brief mixing will change to plain rain. Off and on showers continue into Friday night.

On Saturday, this system begins to weaken and pull away. We’ll start with clouds and a few showers statewide. Drier air should progress into southern and western Maine in the afternoon, with breaks of sunshine and temperatures rising into the 50s.

Sunday looks like the pick of the weekend statewide with high temperatures in the lower 50s.

It’s worth noting that we are in a high astronomical tide cycle. Sometimes, during these higher than usual tides, there can be minor inundation and splashover in low-lying areas, referred to as “sunny day” coastal floods. Adding the storm offshore, there may be a bit of an additional water rise in spots.