Updated: Wednesday February 18, 2009 8:20AM From The TV5 Forecast Center: A ridge of high pressure will dominate the forecast today as it crests the area. Sunshine today will be most prevalent this morning then will fade behind increasing clouds this afternoon. High temperatures in most locations will reach the low to mid-30s this afternoon. Clouds will thicken up tonight with snow spreading across the state, becoming steadier and heavier after midnight. The snow will likely be heavy at times Thursday morning then gradually taper off from south to north across the state during the afternoon and evening. The main area of low pressure is expected to redevelop east of Massachusetts Thursday morning then track close to the Maine coast during the day. On this track, we should see enough warm air move into the immediate coast and outer islands for the snow to mix with then change to plain rain by late morning or early afternoon while inland areas stay all snow. If this redevelopment were to occur further south then the coast would probably stay all snow and of course vice versa so we'll keep a close eye on it. So far, there's been pretty good consistency with bringing the warmer air into the immediate coast and changing the snow to plain rain which of course will keep the snowfall totals down a bit along the coast and outer islands. Precipitation will wind down from south to north across the state during the afternoon and evening as some drier air moves into the mid-levels of the atmosphere. By Thursday evening, snowfall totals of 4"-8" can be expected for areas south of a line from Danforth to Dover-Foxcroft to Rumford; areas along and north of that line will see 5"-10" with some spots up to 12" especially in the western foothills and mountains, where the snow may be enhanced a bit by the easterly wind. The storm will slowly drift across the state on Friday keeping us under the clouds and giving all areas a chance for snow showers. There may be a period of steadier light snow over the northern half of the state which could lead to some light additional accumulations on Friday otherwise it doesn't look like a big deal. A weak ridge of high pressure will build in and brighten things up a bit on Saturday. Another area of low pressure sliding through the state on Sunday will bring us a quick shot of light snow. We'll keep an eye on another area of low pressure passing south and east of New England Sunday night. Right now, some computer models are tracking this storm too far to our east to impact our forecast while other computer models track the storm closer to Maine and bring us a big snowstorm. So there is still lots of uncertainty with regards to more snow late in the weekend into early next. We'll keep you posted. Today: morning sunshine fading behind increasing afternoon clouds. High temperatures between 29°-37°. Light winds will become southeast 5-10 MPH. Tonight: mostly cloudy with snow spreading southwest to northeast across the state, steadiest after midnight. Lows between 18°-28°. Southeast wind becoming east and increasing to 10-20 MPH. Thursday: periods of snow, heavy at times during the morning then tapering off during the afternoon. Snow will mix with then change to rain along the coast and outer islands. Highs between 27°-36°. East wind 10-18 MPH becoming northeast. Friday: occasional snow showers, steadiest north. Highs in the upper 20s to low 30s. Saturday: morning clouds will give way to some afternoon sunshine. Highs in the low to mid-30s. Sunday: snow possible mainly in the morning followed by some breaks of sun during the afternoon. Highs in the upper 20s to low 30s. Todd Simcox WABI TV5 & The CW Meteorologist | 
