Nor’easter dumps more than 6 inches of snow on central Maine

An estimated 6 to 7 inches of snow accumulated across central Maine Tuesday afternoon, as a midwinter nor’easter moved across the state unleashing more snow and wind gusts throughout the day Tuesday.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather warning through until 7 a.m. Wednesday. Central Maine was expected to experience mostly snow and a freezing drizzle throughout the day Tuesday, making roads slick for travel. National Weather Service Meteorologist Derek Schroeter said the main storm would finish by 7 p.m. Tuesday, bringing final snow totals higher than existing accumulations when the next report comes out Wednesday morning.

“We’ll still have some snow, sleet and freezing drizzle, so I expect another inch or so,” Schroeter said.

There is potential for scattered snow showers overnight, but the additional precipitation is not expected to accumulate.

Wind gusts in Augusta reached speeds of 40 mph, while wind gusts in Waterville reached 32 mph. Gusts lessened as the day went on Tuesday.

Officials across Maine announced closures and parking bans in advance of the storm. Many school districts, including Oakland-based Regional School Unit 18, Unity-based RSU 3 and Hallowell-based RSU 2, canceled classes Monday afternoon in anticipation of the storm. Some districts called for remote learning days, while others opted for a traditional snow day.

The state Legislature postponed all public hearings and work sessions slated for Tuesday and the state closed all of its offices for the day, while the Maine Emergency Management Agency and Maine Gov. Janet Mills advised Mainers to stay off the roads.

“With up to a foot of snow and mixed precipitation, we are expecting hazardous travel conditions, so I urge all Maine people to stay off the roads whenever possible and to exercise caution,” Gov. Mills said in a statement.

A dispatcher at the Waterville Regional Communications Center said Tuesday afternoon that the weather did not cause any traffic related accidents.

Central Maine Power Co., which services most of central Maine, initially reported 2,085 outages among 654,858 customers as the storm blew into Maine, but that number had fallen to just 138 total outages by Tuesday afternoon. There were no outages in the afternoon reported in Franklin, Kennebec, Somerset or Waldo Counties.

CMP issued a statement saying it had 300 line workers and 200 tree workers readied in anticipation of the storm.

“The combination of strong winds and snow can often lead to broken trees and limbs falling on power lines, ultimately resulting in outages,” said Kerri Therriault, CMP’s director of electric operations, in a statement. “We have made sure to prepare ahead of time as we continue to monitor the forecast. As the storm rolls in, we will be ready to respond – first prioritizing clearing any downed wires, debris and roads.”

Versant Power, which services much of northern and eastern Maine, reported 140 out if its 163,875 customers did not have power Tuesday afternoon.