Summer Starts Tuesday With Snow in the Forecast

The first day of summer is days away, and there's snow in the forecast for the higher mountain terrains on Saturday.

Even along the immediate Seacoast, temperatures are expected to be 20 degrees cooler than normal after a strong cold front swept through New England on Friday, according to meteorologist John Palmer with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

"All the cold air is going to get pulled down from Canada with the cold front. A northerly wind is going to help create some very cold conditions in the north country this weekend," Palmer told Seacoast Current.

There's Always Snow Somewhere on Mount Washington

Snow is expected in the highest terrain along with wind chill readings into the single digits, according to Palmer. Those who are hiking are warned to prepare for winter-like conditions. Cold weather is not unheard of in New England in June, and there's snow someplace on Mount Washington all summer, according to Palmer.

"This is a bit of an unusually cold cold front that came through Friday night," Palmer said. "But if we look at the snow climatology of Mount Washington, there have been several instances of them getting a couple inches of snow in June, July, and even a trace in August."

Closer to home, the Seacoast region will see high temperatures only in the low 60s on Saturday, and they may not reach 60 on Sunday. The average normal high in Portsmouth is 76 for mid-June, according to Palmer.

Warmer weather will return on Monday with highs back in the 70s, where they'll remain for much of the week.

The 8-15 day temperature outlook from the NWS Climate Prediction Center calls for slightly above normal temperatures through the end of June.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH