Driving conditions were hazardous across central Maine on Tuesday as another November storm blanketed the region with several inches of heavy, wet snow.
The National Weather service predicted a combination of snow, sleet and rain until about 1 p.m., with rain taking over after 2 p.m. Wind gusts were as high as 25 mph and at least 2-4 inches of snow and sleet accumulation was expected. That daytime accumulation added to a bit of snow that fell overnight. In Hallowell, 7 inches were reported overall by 11 a.m.
The weather service said in a release that the snow was winding down around 2:45 p.m. High temperatures hovered around 38 degrees, with lows of 30 degrees.
Northern and western parts of central Maine were hit harder than Augusta. Waterville and Skowhegan were expected to see 3-5 inches of daytime accumulation today, while Farmington could see daytime accumulations of 4-8 inches. At 7 a.m., Farmington had already seen 7 inches of snow.
A number of local schools, including Augusta and Waterville schools and Regional School Units 2, 9, 11 and 54, were canceled because of the storm, as well as the Capital Judicial Center in Augusta and Franklin County Superior Court.
August Police Sgt. Christian Behr said there were a few minor accidents during the day, but no major injuries. A Monday night crash that resulted in the death of a pedestrian near Memorial Bridge was not weather related.
“We’ve had four accidents today,” he said Tuesday. “That’s really about it as far as the weather goes.”
A chance of snow is in the forecast for Wednesday and Thursday.
Franklin County and Kennebec County officials were not available for comment at press time.
The entire state was under a weather service advisory some kind. Most of the state was under a Winter Storm Warning until 7 p.m., while coastal areas were under flood and wind advisories. Some of those advisories were lifted before 4 p.m.
Roads were messy across the region, leading to a number of car accidents reported to law enforcement agencies. Fatal crashes were reported in Cornville Sunday afternoon and Tuesday morning in Liberty during the snowstorm.
“The roads are quite slick,” Margaret Curtis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, told the Portland Press Herald. “Even where there is less accumulation, it’s slow going.”
Somerset County Emergency Management Agency Director Mike Smith said there had been 29 accident calls in the county on Tuesday from midnight to noon, but that number did not include all traffic-related calls. He said there had been a number of “motorist assist” calls, which could involve vehicles that slid off the road and need to be towed out.
The first real snowfall on Nov. 15 had 99 accident reports, he told the Kennebec Journal earlier this month.
“There’s nothing for serious injuries (today),” he said. “I heard the ambulance go out on one and it was a female who was pregnant was shaken up and wanted to get checked out.”
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