3/1 Maine Weather Noon: Unseasonably Cold

Good afternoon. Maine. I'm DJ Huzz. That light dusting on your windshield this morning? Just the opening act. The real show is what's rolling in behind it. In the next 24 hours. An Arctic air mass is plunging south from Canada. and high pressure out west is funneling that bitter cold straight down into Maine. Northwest winds are gusting to 25 miles an hour, making sure you feel every single degree of it. Down along the coast. Portland sits at 30 degrees with a chance of light snow before 1 P.M. Central Maine is colder at 27 degrees. Head north to Bangor and you'll find mostly sunny skies at 30 degrees. but the Western Mountains are brutal, topping out at just 16 degrees. Up in The County, you're looking at a high of only 14. Tonight is when it gets serious. Skies clear and temperatures crater. Portland drops to 5 degrees. Augusta falls to 1. Bangor plunges to minus 8. The Western Mountains hit minus 6. and The County bottoms out at a bone-chilling minus 11. Wind chills are the real danger tonight. Portland feels like minus 4. Bangor feels like minus 16. The County? MinU S Two3. That's why there's a Cold Weather Advisory for far northern Maine from 1 A.M. To 7 A.M. Frostbite can happen in just 10 minutes on exposed skin, so Dress warmly if you're heading out. Monday brings sunshine, but the cold hangs on. Highs range from 25 degrees in Portland to just 14 in The County. Here's your heads-up for the week ahead. Things moderate Tuesday as southwest winds kick in. A coastal storm brings snow Tuesday night into Wednesday, which could slow down your Wednesday morning commute. Thursday and Friday look milder, but another system might bring mixed precipitation. We're sitting 9 degrees below the March normal today, but we're gaining nearly 3 minutes of daylight every day. Maple sugaring season is just two weeks away. Charge those phones and keep the pets inside tonight. For the extended outlook, check the latest forecast as confidence improves. That's your forecast — we'll be back tomorrow.