The Casco Bay Report
Wind, water and sky between Portland Head Light and Bailey Island — read off the instruments each hour and set down in plain language.
Wednesday, November 4·Today’s reckoningCompiled 2:36 AM EST
The State of the Bay
Taken at the hour from the harbour sensors, the offshore buoy and the forecast grid.
53°F
overcast
feels 52°
The air
Dew point51°
Humidity94%
Cloud cover94%
Visibility25.3 mi
Barometer1020.3 mb
steady
Sun strength0.0
low
Fog41 of 100
possible
The wind
out of the north-northwest
Force 2 · Light breeze
NNW · 336°
offshore. Blowing off the land — water stays flat near shore, but it pushes small boats out to sea.
53°F
water — cold
The sea
Significant height1.3 ft
smooth
Dominant period11 s
Ground swell1.0 ft
at 11 seconds
Current at the entrance0.5 kt
flooding, setting NW
Wind is running against the tide. The seas will stand up short and steep — worse than the height alone suggests, and worst at the harbour entrance.
Cold-shock response is real here. Wetsuit recommended; survival time 1–6 hours.
The Tide at Portland
AVERAGE RANGEPredicted from NOAA station 8418150 and checked against the measured water level. Heights are feet above mean lower low water.
3.1ft
and making
+1.92 ft/hr
| Tide | Time | Height |
|---|---|---|
| High | 6:49 AM | 9.2 |
| Low | 12:57 PM | 0.8 |
| High | 7:12 PM | 9.4 |
| LowThu | 1:27 AM | 0.3 |
| HighThu | 7:45 AM | 9.6 |
| LowThu | 1:58 PM | 0.4 |
Next high6:49 AM
4h 13m from now
Range today9.1 ft
100% of the 9.1 ft mean
Against prediction+0.37 ft
Water is running high — wind setup
The Sun and the Moon
10h 7m of daylight, losing 3 min a dayComputed for 43°42′ N, 70°09′ W — the middle of the bay, between Long Island and Chebeague.
The sun
First light civil dawn | 5:50 AM |
Sunrise golden until 7:02 AM | 6:20 AM |
Highest 30.8° above the horizon | 11:24 AM |
Golden hour the good light | 3:45 PM |
Sunset | 4:27 PM |
Last light full dark at 6:04 PM | 4:57 PM |
The moon
Waning Crescent
20.8% lit · 25.1 days old
Rises1:17 AM
Sets2:10 PM
Next fullNov 24
Next newNov 9
Feeding periods54
The old solunar reckoning: fish move hardest when the moon is on the meridian — overhead or underfoot — and again at its rising and setting. Lay a major period over a running tide and that is your hour.
| Period | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Moonriseminor | 12:47 AM | 1:47 AM |
| Moon overheadmajor | 6:45 AM | 8:45 AM |
| Moonsetminor | 1:40 PM | 2:40 PM |
| Moon underfootmajor | 7:15 PM | 9:15 PM |
Notices to Mariners
What would catch you out today, and what is worth going out for.
Fog likely
Elevated fog risk from 6:00 AM to 7:00 AM. Warm air over cold water — the classic Casco Bay setup. Carry radar and sound your horn.
Wind against tide
Around 12:00 PM the breeze opposes the current. Seas will stand up short and steep — worse than the 1.4 ft height suggests, especially at the harbor entrance.
Wind peaks
SSW 14 kt, gusts 18 around 3:00 PM.
Water 53°F — cold
Cold-shock response is real here. Wetsuit recommended; survival time 1–6 hours.
Evening golden hour
Starts 3:45 PM, sunset 4:27 PM, civil dusk 4:57 PM. Day length is shrinking by 3 min a day right now.
Best window 8:00 AM
SW 6 kt, 1.2 ft seas, ebb tide. Best combination of breeze and sea state in the next 24 hours.
Hour by Hour
The next day and night, read off the forecast grid and joined to the tide and the current at the harbour entrance.
| Hour | Weather | Air | Wind | Gust | Sea | Per. | Tide | Set | Curr. | Rain | Vis. | Fog |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 AM | Overcast | 53° | NNW 6 | 6 | 0.9 | 7s | 1.6 | flood | 0.3 | 2% | 26 | 22 |
| now | Overcast | 53° | NW 3 | 5 | 1.0 | 7s | 3.5 | flood | 0.6 | 2% | 25 | 15 |
| 4 AM | Partly cloudy | 53° | W 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 6s | 5.8 | flood | 0.6 | 2% | 25 | 18 |
| 5 AM | Partly cloudy | 53° | SW 5 | 5 | 1.1 | 6s | 7.7 | flood | 0.5 | 2% | 25 | 44 |
| 6 AM | Fog | 53° | SSW 6 | 7 | 1.1 | 6s | 8.9 | flood | 0.3 | 2% | 0.4 | 96 |
| 7 AM | Fog | 52° | SW 8 | 9 | 1.1 | 6s | 9.2 | high | 0.0 | 2% | 0.4 | 96 |
| 8 AM | Partly cloudy | 53° | SW 6 | 11 | 1.2 | 6s | 8.5 | ebb | 0.4 | 2% | 29 | 19 |
| 9 AM | Partly cloudy | 53° | SSW 5 | 9 | 1.2 | 6s | 6.8 | ebb | 0.8 | 3% | 29 | 19 |
| 10 AM | Overcast | 54° | S 6 | 13 | 1.2 | 5s | 4.6 | ebb | 1.0 | 2% | 32 | 15 |
| 11 AM | Clear sky | 55° | S 9 | 11 | 1.4 | 5s | 2.6 | ebb | 0.9 | 2% | 36 | 0 |
| 12 PM | Overcast | 55° | S 12 | 14 | 1.4 | 5s | 1.2 | ebb | 0.7 | 2% | 34 | 0 |
| 1 PM | Overcast | 55° | S 14 | 17 | 1.6 | 4s | 0.8 | low | 0.3 | 2% | 36 | 0 |
| 2 PM | Overcast | 55° | S 14 | 18 | 1.6 | 4s | 1.4 | flood | 0.1 | 2% | 38 | 0 |
| 3 PM | Clear sky | 56° | SSW 14 | 18 | 1.8 | 4s | 3.0 | flood | 0.5 | 2% | 41 | 0 |
| 4 PM | Overcast | 56° | SSW 13 | 18 | 1.8 | 4s | 5.2 | flood | 0.6 | 2% | 42 | 0 |
| 5 PM | Clear sky | 57° | SSW 13 | 18 | 1.8 | 4s | 7.2 | flood | 0.5 | 2% | 45 | 0 |
| 6 PM | Mainly clear | 57° | SSW 11 | 16 | 1.9 | 4s | 8.7 | flood | 0.3 | 2% | 44 | 0 |
| 7 PM | Partly cloudy | 57° | SSW 12 | 18 | 1.9 | 4s | 9.4 | high | 0.1 | 2% | 44 | 0 |
| 8 PM | Partly cloudy | 57° | SW 11 | 18 | 2.0 | 4s | 9.1 | ebb | 0.2 | 2% | 47 | 0 |
| 9 PM | Overcast | 57° | SW 10 | 17 | 2.0 | 4s | 7.7 | ebb | 0.7 | 2% | 45 | 0 |
| 10 PM | Overcast | 56° | SW 11 | 17 | 2.0 | 5s | 5.6 | ebb | 1.0 | 2% | 40 | 0 |
| 11 PM | Overcast | 55° | SW 11 | 16 | 2.0 | 5s | 3.3 | ebb | 1.0 | 2% | 35 | 0 |
| 12 AMThu | Overcast | 55° | SW 11 | 16 | 2.0 | 5s | 1.4 | ebb | 0.8 | 2% | 32 | 0 |
| 1 AM | Overcast | 54° | SSW 10 | 14 | 2.0 | 5s | 0.4 | low | 0.5 | 2% | 30 | 0 |
| 2 AM | Overcast | 54° | SSW 8 | 13 | 2.0 | 5s | 0.5 | low | 0.1 | 2% | 29 | 10 |
Sea in feet, period in seconds, tide in feet above mean lower low water, current in knots at the harbour entrance, visibility in miles, fog on a scale of one hundred.
From the Weather Service
The official word, printed as issued. Where this page disagrees with the bulletin, believe the bulletin.
Coastal Waters Forecast
National Weather Service · Gray, Maine
Zone ANZ153 — Casco Bay
National Weather Service · Gray, Maine
Zone ANZ153 — Casco Bay
Issued 2:02 AM EST
.SYNOPSIS... Warm front will continue to push north across the Gulf of Maine this morning. Some low clouds and perhaps fog will push into the Penobscot Bay area through the morning, but will continue to lift north through the rest of the day. Overall winds and seas will be rather light, with the strongest winds expected to remain over the central Gulf of Maine late in the week.
.Today... SW winds around 5 kt, increasing to 10 to 15 kt. Seas around 2 ft.
.Tonight... SW winds 5 to 10 kt. Seas around 2 ft.
.Thu... S winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A chance of rain in the afternoon.
.Thu Night... SW winds 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft.
.Fri... S winds around 5 kt. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A chance of rain in the morning, then rain likely in the afternoon.
.Fri Night... SE winds around 5 kt, increasing to 5 to 10 kt after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Rain.
.Sat... SE winds around 10 kt, becoming E in the afternoon. Seas 2 to 3 ft. Rain, mainly in the morning.
.Sat Night... N winds 5 to 10 kt, increasing to 10 to 15 kt with gusts up to 20 kt after midnight. Seas 2 to 3 ft. A chance of rain.
Ashore
Overnight
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. West wind 0 to 5 mph.
Wednesday
Partly sunny, with a high near 64. Southwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 55. Southwest wind around 10 mph.
Thursday
A chance of rain between 1pm and 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Thursday Night
A slight chance of rain after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 57. Southwest wind 10 to 15 mph.
Friday
Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 70%.
The Week Ahead
Wave heights run out past two and a half days — beyond that the marine model has nothing honest to say, and the column is left blank.
| Day | Weather | High | Low | Wind | Gust | Sea | Rain | Moon | High water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TodayNov 4 | Fog | 57° | 52° | SSW 14 | 18 | 2.0 | 3% | Waning Crescent21% | 6:49 AM · 7:12 PM |
| ThuNov 5 | Overcast | 64° | 53° | SSW 18 | 28 | 2.9 | 48% | Waning Crescent13% | 7:45 AM · 8:11 PM |
| FriNov 6 | Showers | 70° | 59° | SSW 7 | 21 | 2.8 | 88% | Waning Crescent7% | 8:35 AM · 9:04 PM |
| SatNov 7 | Rain | 60° | 48° | NNE 10 | 27 | — | 88% | Waning Crescent3% | 9:21 AM · 9:52 PM |
| SunNov 8 | Fog | 55° | 45° | N 12 | 29 | — | 38% | Waning Crescent1% | 10:02 AM · 10:37 PM |
| MonNov 9 | Overcast | 55° | 41° | WNW 9 | 24 | — | 19% | Waxing Crescent0% | 10:42 AM · 11:19 PM |
| TueNov 10 | Overcast | 63° | 46° | WSW 10 | 24 | — | 12% | Waxing Crescent2% | 11:20 AM |
From the Buoys and Gauges
Measured, not modelled. These are the actual instruments in the water, with the age of each reading.
| Station | Distance | Wind | Sea | Per. | Swell | Water | Air | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland Harbour station 8418150, on the waterfront | — | NW 2 | — | — | — | 52.5° | 53.2° | 6m |
| Portland Lightship Buoy buoy 44007 — 12 nm southeast of portland — the bay's reference buoy | 10.5 nm | NNW 6 | 1.3 | 11s | 1.0 ESE | 53.2° | 52.3° | 26m |
| Western Maine Shelf buoy 44030 — wind and air temperature on the western shelf | 33.5 nm | NW 6 | — | — | — | —° | 53.4° | 1h 36m |
| Jeffreys Ledge buoy 44098 — offshore to the south — shows swell arriving from the gulf | 54.2 nm | — | 1.6 | 10s | 0.7 ESE | 53.4° | 53.1° | 36m |
| Jonesport, Maine buoy 44027 — down east — early warning for weather tracking southwest | 128 nm | SE 18 | 4.3 | 5s | 0.7 SSE | 51.8° | —° | 26m |
Freshwater into the bay
Presumpscot212 cfs
enters at Falmouth
Royal29 cfs
enters at Yarmouth
Androscoggin2,410 cfs
enters at Merrymeeting Bay
After rain the plume freshens and clouds the top few feet near the river mouths, and carries stormwater down with it for a day or two.
Air and sky
Air quality62
moderate
GeomagneticKp 2.7
no northern lights tonight
Casco Bay lies near 53° magnetic latitude. It takes Kp 6 or better before the lights clear the horizon, and you want to be off away from Portland’s glow — Chebeague, Cliff, or the north shore of Bailey.
Last reading 10:00 PM EST