Derek Tillson clears snow Thursday from a row of vehicles at Quirk Ford of Augusta at 7 Water St. in Hallowell after an early spring storm hit central Maine on Wednesday night. Saturday’s forecast calls for another snowstorm, with 5 to 10 inches of snow expected in Kennebec and Somerset counties, making for slick roads. Joe Phelan/Kennebec Journal
AUGUSTA — With the ground already white throughout much of the region Thursday morning, winter weather watches have been issued for Kennebec and Somerset counties for Saturday, when a storm is expected to bring an additional 5 to 10 inches of snow.
On Thursday, two days after the start of spring, people across central Maine awoke to see the ground covered with snow.
Across most of Kennebec County, the snowfall measured a couple of inches, with the most accumulation — 5 inches — recorded just southwest of Waterville.
Across Somerset County, the National Weather Service recorded 6.3 inches of snow in Cornville, 8 inches just outside of Harmony and 11 inches in Solon.
Following Wednesday night’s snow, about 3,300 people in Somerset County were without power Thursday morning, according to Central Maine Power Co.
While that number was reduced during the day, about 1,300 people remained without power by late afternoon, with the greatest impacts in Harmony, Norridgewock, Tomhegan and Hartland.
Jonathan Breed, a spokesman for CMP, said the outages were due primarily to strong winds.
CMP is continuing to monitor forecasts heading into the weekend, Breed said.
Snow is expected to begin falling late Friday and continue throughout Saturday, changing to rain in some areas after midday.
“If you slice Kennebec County in half, it looks like anywhere from 5 to 8 inches for the southern part of the county,” Jerry Combs, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, said. “And it kind of looks like about 6 to 9 or 10 (inches) as you go to the north part of the county.”
For Somerset County, forecasts call for 8 to 10 inches, with greater amounts at higher elevations.
Combs said the forecasts will be updated, so snowfall estimates could change.
“If we have a winter storm watch, it’s pretty safe to say we’re assuming some pretty treacherous travel conditions,” Combs said. “The usual kind of slippery roads, stuff like that.”
The storm is expected to wind down Saturday evening, ahead of Maine Maple Sunday, which this year is also Palm Sunday.
Combs said winds are expected to pick up in the wake of Saturday’s storm, with gusts reaching 30 mph to 35 mph on Saturday night and into Sunday, when the storm is expected to move out of the area.
“The breezier conditions will be overnight Saturday night and into Sunday morning,” Combs said.
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