Snow on Monday brought several inches to Maine, with most totals between 3 and 6 inches, although some towns in eastern Maine ended up getting closer to 8 inches.

By the end of this week, the pattern will flip.

High pressure moves offshore Wednesday, and the return flow out of the south and west will transport mild air into Maine by Thursday. The average high this time of year is in the mid- to upper 30s; parts of the state will be flirting with 40 degrees Thursday.

This much milder air will be in place ahead of the next system. With a lack of cold high pressure it’ll have no problem taking an inland track, the center of the low may pass far to our west in the St. Lawrence River Valley, flooding Maine with mild air Friday into Saturday.

Warmth combined with a soaking rain of 1 to 2 inches will put a big dent in the snow pack.

The milder overnight Friday and Saturday night will be the real problem. If fog forms, fog is a great “snow eater” too.

Beyond this, a clipper is possible on Christmas Eve. That’s the only hope for any more accumulating snow around the holiday.