A storm during most of the daytime hours Saturday dropped several inches of fresh snow on central Maine, creating slippery conditions for drivers on roads in the region.
Snow started falling in Waterville about 9 a.m. and continued steadily through the afternoon. The snow began tapering off around 3 p.m., leaving at least 4 inches on the ground.
Emergency dispatchers fielded reports of many cars off the road across the region, but no serious accidents.
A dispatcher at the Regional Communications Center in Augusta said she had received a few calls. “It hasn’t been overwhelming, but I guess the roads are pretty slippery,” she said.
Waterville dispatchers also handled a number of reports of minor accidents, but Waterville police Sgt. Alden Weigelt said Saturday afternoon there had been no serious problems.
“It’s been uncharacteristically calm,” Weigelt said.
At the Marketplace at Augusta, parking lots were mostly empty for a Saturday afternoon, aside from a few vehicles and several tractors and plows.
Mary Thompsen, of Waterville, said despite the weather, she had some shopping to get done at Sam’s Club and Wal-Mart.
“They’re really doing a good job of keeping the roads in a safe condition,” Thompsen said. “The interstate was in good shape driving down, not too much traffic, and the road wasn’t as slippery as I had expected.”
The National Weather Service in Gray said the storm dropped 4 inches of snow by 1 p.m. in Portland. Sleet and freezing rain mixed with the snow at times in southern Maine, keeping totals a little lower than they were inland and in the midcoast area and Washington County, where it fell as all snow. Roque Bluffs, in Washington County, recorded the highest total snowfall, with 7 inches on the ground shortly before 4 p.m.
A winter weather advisory for the western half of the state was lifted Saturday afternoon, but warnings and advisories remained in place for eastern Maine.
Most towns and cities were clearing roads by the time the sun set Saturday, but the speed limit on the Maine Turnpike remained at 45 mph, and the Maine State Police in Gray advised motorists to drive cautiously.
Early Saturday afternoon, power utilities in Maine reported only a few small outages along the coast between Castine and Harrington, and by 5 p.m., power had been restored to all but handful of customers in Bar Harbor.
The sky will be partly cloudy on Sundayand there’s a chance of widely scattered snow showers, but any community that gets the snow shouldn’t see more than 3 inches fall, the weather service said. The coming week will be colder, with highs in the mid-20s through Wednesday, and gusty wind will make it seem colder still.
The Maine Sunday Telegram contributed to this report.
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