Many Mainers put away their snow shovels for the season after an unusually warm winter with little snowfall. But as residents hunker down for another spring snowstorm, many local hardware stores are restocking everything from salt to ice scrapers as customers scramble to prepare for more than a foot of snow.

Forecasts from the National Weather Service on Wednesday afternoon predicted 12 to 18 inches of snowfall throughout Kennebec and Somerset counties, with wind gusts expected to hit 45 mph. Officials said they are expecting power outages and hazardous road conditions, and are urging that residents not leave home unless essential.

Gov. Janet Mills ordered that most state offices are to remain closed Thursday, and some schools, such as Oakland-based Regional School Unit 18, sent out notices Wednesday afternoon that there is no school Thursday.

While people prepare to hunker down at home for the nor’easter, many folks were scrambling Wednesday for last-minute supplies.

At Quinn Hardware at 125 Waterville Road in Skowhegan, employees had put away much of the winter merchandise before a storm last week brought a surge in customers seeking shovels, according to manager Janet Burrill.

“We’ve got shovels, roof rakes, car brushes, generators — all the essentials,” she said. “We put them away probably three or four weeks ago, because when the weather started getting nice, people started their gardens and spring cleanup and stuff. But then the snow came back, and we had to grab all of our shovels out of the barn and bring them back.”

While Burrill said more people have sought ice scrapers, winter gloves and other supplies from Quinn’s as weather forecasters ramped up their warnings about this week’s nor’easter, she said she expected to see the most customers Wednesday night and Thursday afternoon.

“We don’t usually get last-minute customers,” Burrill said. “We get people here when the storm is already started who are like, ‘Oh, crap, I need this and I need it now.”

At Harvey’s Hardware in Gardiner, snow shovels never left the shelves. Dan Riggan, an employee at the store at 16 Maine Ave., said Wednesday that workers were anticipating unseasonable snowstorms this year and kept winter supplies in stock.

“We have a plethora of shovels in stock,” he said, laughing. “We’ve kept them out through the winter. It’s pretty unusual, seeing snow this late in the season, but we’ve been ready and we’ve gotta be ready.”

The scene was similar at Hussey’s General Store at 510 Ridge Road in Windsor, where employee Pat Poulin said the store had sold out of the ice scrapers the store restocked ahead of the storm.

“We’d put most of them away for the winter, but we do have some shovels,” Poulin said. “Not any ice scrapers left anymore, though. People always get their groceries and stuff at the last minute.”

Authorities are advising people to clear their driveways and sidewalks periodically, rather than all at once, according to Michael Smith, deputy director of the Somerset County Emergency Management Agency.

“It’s a spring snow, so it’s going to be wet, heavy and hard to shovel,” Smith said Tuesday. “If you have to shovel, do it in smaller amounts, and try to keep up with the snow, rather than waiting until the storm is over.”

Residents should avoid unnecessary travel during the storm, according to meteorologist Stephen Baron of the National Weather Service, because wind gusts approaching 50 mph and heavy, wet snow are likely to create clogged, slushy roadways and limited visibility.

“Travel everywhere, but especially Thursday morning, is going to be hazardous,” Baron said. “It’s going to be snowing really hard and the wind is going to be blowing, so travel is really not recommended.”

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