WEATHER in Maine is changeable—not only from day to day, but from place to place. It is not at all surprising to find quite different conditions in two coastal locations less than 50 miles apart. As Mark Twain put it, “I reverently believe that the Maker who made us all makes everything in New England but the weather. I don’t know who makes that, but I think it must be some raw apprentices in the weather-clerk’s factory...”

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Weather Patterns. Summer weather in Maine is generally pleasant, especially on the water and in coastal areas. On a typical summer day, the breeze is light in the morning, gradually building up to 25 knots or so from the southwest, reaching its greatest strength in the afternoon, and diminishing before sunset.
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The second half of June is often delightful for sailing, cool and sunny. Temperatures are mildest during July and August, but this is also when fog is most frequent. September, too, can bring wonderful sailing weather. In late September and early October, you will encounter an increasing number of strong winds with a chilling northerly component.
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And then there are the exceptional years, both good and bad. After five or six summers of normal weather, with a preponderance of bright, sunny days and southwesterlies, a summer will come when nothing is normal—the sun is seldom seen, the fog lingers for a week or two at a stretch, and there are frequent winds from the north or northwest.
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Prevailing Winds. The prevailing wind in the summer is from the southwest, usually no more than 15 or 20 knots, and often less. Morning calms are frequent in sheltered waters along the coast. Winds from anywhere in the east usually bring fog, drizzle, and generally gray, unpleasant weather.
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Winds from the northwest are typically clearing winds, sweeping moisture away and shining the visibility to a sparkle. But these winds tend to be gusty—strongest right after the front has passed, then tapering off and, after several hours, shifting to the southwest.
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Downdrafts. There are many places on the coast of Maine where hills and mountains are so close to the coast that you may encounter fluky winds and downdrafts unrelated to the general weather pattern. Areas particularly prone to these downdrafts are the shores just north of Camden, Eggemoggin Reach, Somes Sound, and Devils Head in the St. Croix River.
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Fog. July and August are the most common months for fog, but it can occur any time of year. There is a general belief that fog comes with calm or light winds, but this is often not the case in Maine. Don’t be surprised to find fog and a brisk wind at the same time. Be prepared for fog to close in with little or no warning. Take bearings while you still can, and have in mind a destination that is easy to reach in low visibility. Click here for more details on Maine coast fog.
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Gales and Hurricanes. During spring and summer, the strongest winds are generated by fronts and thunderstorms. Although the prevailing summer wind is a moderate southwesterly, don’t assume that everything from that direction is benign. When the weather forecasters start talking about southwest winds of 20 or 30 knots, you can expect periods of higher winds as well. In a given summer, there may be two or three gales (34 to 47 knots) from the south.
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Hurricane season is June through October, but hurricanes are infrequent in Maine, usually dissipating over land before arriving here, or heading out to sea. Since hurricanes are tracked from their inception in the Caribbean or the Gulf of Mexico, there is always several-days warning. For more on hurricanes and hurricane holes, see ahead.
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Weather Forecasts.

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NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts reasonably current weather forecasts on VHF channels 1, 2, and 3, and there are similar broadcasts in Canada. Usually these forecasts are quite good, though the weather picture may be painted with a broad brush—from Eastport to the Merrimack River and up to 25 miles offshore. Local conditions tend to vary considerably, so the offshore forecasts can be seriously misleading. NOAA's regional forecasts are done by county, and Maine counties are shown on the endpaper charts in this book.
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Take all weather forecasts with a grain of salt. Consult the sky and consult your own barometer. A rapidly falling glass may mean much worse weather than the radio is predicting. Always have a fallback anchorage in mind to run for if the wind blows up too strong or from the wrong quarter. Use more scope than is needed for the conditions at the time you anchor.