The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for this evening and tonight, as an approaching gale from the southeast arrives along the coast of Maine. Residents are also cautioned to watch for coastal flooding.

The winds will be off the water, with the highest expected to blow this evening, with gusts up to 60 mph. There may be, NWS said, downed trees and power outages. Farther south and inland, wind gusts are anticipated to be between 40 and 50 mph.

Winds are to diminish around midnight as a cold front pushes in from the west.

The warning areas are coastal Lincoln, Knox and Waldo counties, and is in effect until 2 a.m., Friday, April 8.

The wind will be accompanied by some coastal flooding near the time of high tide, which will be close to midnight in the Rockland region. The tides will already be astronomically high, and forecasters say to anticipate a .5 to 1.5 storm surge on top of the tide.

They are targeting vulnerable areas as Snow Marine Park in Rockland, Route 1 at Lincolnville Beach, and Bath, near the Kennebec River, as well as Commercial Street in Portland and behind the dunes in Saco.

The forecast, as of 4:30 p.m.

This AfternoonRain. High near 49. Windy, with a south wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. TonightRain, mainly before 2 a.m. The rain could be heavy at times. Areas of fog. Low around 43. Very windy, with a south wind 40 to 45 mph decreasing to 30 to 35 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 60 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
FridayA 40 percent chance of rain before 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 47. Windy, with a southwest wind 25 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Friday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 29. Southwest wind around 15 mph.
SaturdayMostly sunny, with a high near 41. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.
Saturday NightMostly cloudy, with a low around 24. Blustery.
SundayMostly sunny, with a high near 38. Breezy.
Sunday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 26.