Meteorologist Chris Kimble from the National Weather Service office in Gray said Central Maine could expect temperatures in the low 90s through Wednesday, with a cooler temperatures expected Saturday.
“We have a cold front expected,” he said. “It should be hot or warm through the end of the week, then the cold front moves through Saturday or Saturday night. That’ll drop our temperatures back down to the 70s.”
The weather service issued a Heat Advisory on Monday for much of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. It calls for temperatures in the 90s boosted by high humidity.
Kimble said the weather system that’s bringing humidity to southern New England is bringing it to Maine as well.
“We have had a lot of humidity in particular,” Kimble said. “Over the past few weeks, we’ve had high pressures off the coast and lows further interior. We’ve had a southerly wind flow bringing in warm tropical air. That’s why we’ve had a lot of humidity and warm temperatures — and a lot of rain.”
It’s been the dominant factor in weather so far this summer, he said.
But temperatures should stay in the upper 80s and low 90s in Maine
“It is going to be hot,” he said. “It is Maine, and we don’t get this hot that often. Take some precautions, but it does not look to be very extreme.”
Auburn Fire Chief Frank Roma encouraged Twin Cities residents to stay well hydrated and to keep to the shade whenever possible.
“Try and drink water and stay hydrated before you feel thirsty,” he said. “You want to stay on the right side of that thirst to stay healthy. Try and stay out of the sun, especially during peak sun hours. And check up on neighbors and elderly to make sure they are OK and have some way to move the air around their apartment.”
Twin Cities and emergency management officials have not discussed opening cooling stations for people overwhelmed by the temperatures, but Roma said residents need to keep an eye on their conditions and those of their friends and family.
“If you feel ill or sick from being outside, call 911,” Roma said. “Sometimes people think they’ll be OK, but they can move from heat exhaustion to heat stroke quickly and get beyond our ability to help.”
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- Alex Whitney, 10, sits in front of his home on South Main Street in Auburn trying to sell grape juice for $0.50 Monday afternoon as temperatures soared around the 90 degree mark. Whitney hadn’t had much success, but his mother attributed that to him only being out on the lawn for less than 15 minutes. Whitney says he tries his hand at being an entrepreneur a couple times per summer.
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