Another wave of wintry precipitation is expected to reach Maine on Tuesday, but signs of Fool’s Spring are on the horizon.

An area stretching diagonally from Fryeburg to Calais, including communities around Lewiston and Bangor, could get 2 to 3 inches of snow starting late Tuesday, the National Weather Service said Monday afternoon.

South of that band, York County and the southern coastline are expected to get 1 to 2 inches late Tuesday into Wednesday.

Areas just north of that band — and south of the Rumford, Skowhegan, Lincoln and Danforth areas — are also expected to get 1 to 2 inches, according the weather service in Caribou.

The snow may already be falling during the evening commute in southwestern areas, according to the weather service, while it isn’t expected to reach the Down East region until late Tuesday night.

In southern Maine, the snow is expected to eventually turn to a wintry mix. Michael Clair, a meteorologist at the weather service’s Gray office, said the transition will likely occur overnight.

“There might be a little bit of freezing rain in there, but mostly on top of the snow that falls,” he said in an interview Monday.

‘BACK AND FORTH’

Early forecasts indicate more precipitation may arrive by Friday, but “we’ve got a little bit of a back and forth” until then, Clair said.

As the wintry weather clears Wednesday, temperatures will rise to the high 40s in southern, central and Down East Maine, the weather service said. According to the Caribou office, temperatures may even reach above freezing in Aroostook County.

“Then, cold air makes a bit of a comeback by Thursday,” Clair said.

Weather service forecasts call for temperatures to drop to the 20s by Wednesday night across much of southern Maine and remain relatively cool Thursday and Friday.

Precipitation may also arrive late Thursday or Friday. Clair said it is likely to lean more toward a wintry mix than snow, if it even reaches Maine.

“There’s still some question as to how much moisture makes it this far north,” he said.

After that, things are expected to heat up once again.

The weather service on Monday was forecasting temperatures in the high 40s and even low 50s across much of the state this weekend, even as far north as Houlton by Sunday.

But, like all things weather, that is subject to change.

“There’s a bit of weather to get through before we can think about a weekend warmup,” Clair said.