The National Weather Service in Gray assures Mainers that this weekend is going to be a nice one.

“If you’re a duck,” said meteorologist Eric Schwibs.

High pressure continued to move offshore Friday as low pressure over the mid-Atlantic states worked northeast. And the big question in the mix is Tropical Storm Kyle.

On Friday, it was projected to track just off the coast of Maine, arriving Sunday. If Kyle moves to the west any, hitting the state, it would mean more wind and rain.

By late Sunday, said Schwibs, the coast likely will have seen 3 to 5 inches of rain over the weekend, and the mountains up to 3 inches. “It’s going to be wet,” said Schwibs.

Monday still will be unsettled, with possibly a stray shower, but the real serious rain should end by Sunday evening, said Schwibs.

The Coast Guard said it was setting up crews and equipment throughout New England in anticipation of Kyle, and warned mariners of expected dangerous seas.

The National Weather Service is calling for wind gusts up to 80 knots and seas of around 10 feet to 20 feet offshore, the Coast Guard said in a written statement. Coast Guard shore units broadcast weather warnings over the radio and a Falcon jet crew from the Coast Guard Air Station on Cape Cod flew offshore to broadcast the latest weather to mariners.

“High seas, heavy rains and damaging winds that accompany tropical storms may present serious dangers to mariners and coastal communities,” the Coast Guard said. “Assistance by the Coast Guard and other agencies may be degraded or unavailable immediately before, during , and after the storm. For mariners who are under way, the Coast Guard urges them to seek shelter from the storm.”

Route 136

State transportation workers will be keeping an eye on a stretch of Route 136 in Auburn which this week started sliding into the Androscoggin River.

“We will have someone there monitoring it, because the ground is still shifting where that slide was,” said Transportation Department spokesman Mark Latti.

The road reopened at noon Friday with the damaged portion is barricaded.

“We’re just going to keep an eye on it through this weekend to make sure it doesn’t get worse,” Latti said.

He said state workers also will be keeping watch on other areas where new culverts have been installed or are due to be installed.

There have been several conference calls linking up the National Weather Services, the Maine Emergency Management Agency, county emergency management agencies, and other state departments to discuss the weekend weather and potential problems.

Joyce Kelley, deputy director of the York County Emergency Management Agency, said her organization had follow-up conference calls with other groups in the county, updating them on the storm’s progress.

The York agency might activate on Saturday, depending on the weather, bringing in a skeleton staff to coordinate emergency response efforts in the county, said Kelley.

“We know we’re going to get rain in our area; they’re not awfully concerned with wind, but that can change,” said Kelley. “They’re talking about coastal splash-over – what we always see along the coast. The tides cycle is not at the highest of the month, but it’s at the upper level.”

James Budway, executive director at the Cumberland County Emergency Management Association, said he was anticipating winds of 15 to 25 knots.

“Right now, we’re certainly in a monitoring status,” said Budway. “We’re just keeping our eye on the track” of Kyle.

Cumberland County saw some damage in the Aug. 8 storm, with road washouts and other impacts in North Yarmouth, Yarmouth, Cumberland, Freeport, Brunswick and Pownal. That led to a disaster declaration by the federal government, and local agencies have been meeting with the Federal Emergency Management Association, said Budway.

“I think towns are very aware of where their trouble spots are; where I live, I’ll see cones put out in advance of big rains,” said Budway.

Staff Writer David Hench

contributed to this story.