A snowstorm that settled in Maine early Monday dumped about 5 inches of snow on the Augusta and Waterville regions, creating slippery roads and leading to delays and cancellations.
Many school districts canceled classes for the day, while state offices delayed opening until 10 a.m. and closed early at 4 p.m. Minor traffic accidents were also reported around central Maine, including a jack-knifed tractor-trailer in Wales, a car that struck a utility pole in Leeds, a motor vehicle accident in Sabattus and an early morning crash on the turnpike in West Gardiner.
Snowy road conditions were also cited in a deadly crash in New Portland during the wee hours Monday morning. That crash resulted in the death of Connor Graham, 21, of Hampden.
Augusta police reported a late morning power outage along Bangor Street and Riverside Drive, which knocked out power to several traffic lights, but power was restored there less than an hour later.
At 11 a.m., a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray said precipitation would continue in Augusta and Waterville until early afternoon with snow possibly turning into sleet. The snow started in central Maine shortly after 1 a.m. Monday and up to 5.5 inches had fallen in parts of Kennebec County by 2 p.m.
Many area schools were closed Monday, including those in Augusta, Gardiner, Winthrop, Readfield, Hallowell, Farmingdale, Monmouth, Litchfield, Wales and Waterville.
“I urge all of you to drive safely as you commute to your destination,” said Gov. Paul LePage in a news release announcing the delayed opening. “Stopping on snow or ice without skidding requires extra time and distance. Drive slowly so you can adjust to changing road conditions. Please remember to keep a safe distance behind other vehicles and give plow trucks plenty of room to operate.”
The state was expected to return to normal business hours on Tuesday.
By early afternoon, Mount Vernon reported 5.5 inches of snow, Winslow had 4.5 inches, Waterville had 4 inches, and north Augusta had 3.5 inches.
The Monday storm resulted from a low pressure front that originated in the Great Lakes region and headed eastward, causing warm air to rise above the cold air in New England and produce snowfall, said Tom Hawley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Temperatures rose throughout the morning, turning some of the snow in southern Maine to rain or sleet.
Two traffic accidents were reported in Augusta by the early afternoon, but no injuries resulted from the crashes, said Sgt. Christopher Shaw.
In China, about 9:15 a.m., a car reportedly went into a ditch.
The flurry of snow hadn’t caused any motor-vehicle injuries by late morning in Waterville, according to police Deputy Chief Bill Bonney. An 18-wheeler ran off the road on Kennedy Memorial Drive near the interstate at 8:51 a.m., but was able to get back on the road and didn’t sustain damage, he said.
“We haven’t had a ton of problems this morning,” he said. A few cars had gone off the road, again on Kennedy Memorial Drive, but no bad accidents were reported.
“We just encourage people to be careful and allow a little extra time,” Bonney said.
Temperatures were expected to rise to about 30 degrees in Waterville and 32 degrees in Augusta, Hawley said. He forecast similar or slightly warmer temperatures through Wednesday, followed by a cold spell Thursday and Friday that could eventually drive temperatures into the single digits.
Staff writer Madeline St. Amour contributed to this report.
Charles Eichacker — 621-5642
Twitter: @ceichacker
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.