As the severe coastal snowstorm began peaking early this afternoon, Gov. Paul LePage’s office announced that state offices would be closing at 3 p.m. as a safety precaution so employees could get home during the daylight. 

Portland announced it would close city offices at 2 p.m. for all non-essential personnel because of the snowfall, which was exceeding predictions by a couple of inches.

Butch Roberts, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said the storm was generally following the same track and moving at the same speed as forecast, but was hugging the coastline slightly more than computer models earlier this morning suggested.

In addition to creating a little more snow in general, that track was also causing heavier than anticipated snow inland, he said.

Totals from shortly after 11 a.m. range from 7.5 inches in Brunswick to nearly 12 inches in Gorham, Roberts said, and snow is continuing to fall heavily.

South coastal Maine was expected to see about 10 to 18 inches of snow, he said, and about the same in the coastal plain. The foothills were expected to get 6 to 12 inches.

Roberts said he expected the storm to start winding down this afternoon with the snow tapering off toward nightfall. He expected about an inch of snow to fall tonight as the storm departs.

Police departments across southern Maine reported no serious accidents this morning, though several cars had slid off the road.

The number of accidents was lower than normal for a snowstorm because the heavy snow and poor visibility kept many motorists from venturing out, and those that did were driving very slowly, police said.

Portland officials reported that 30 plows were working to clear 566 miles of city street but some morning commuters were still faced with unplowed residential roads.

Heavy snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour made it difficult for plows to keep up.
Schools, businesses and government offices shut down as heavy snow and gusting winds made for near-blizzard conditions.

Portland International Jetport remained open during the storm, but few flights were coming in, and that led to cancellations for outgoing flights.

Spokesman Gregory Hughes said the airport normally handles 40 arrivals and departures a day, but it would likely have only seven or eight incoming and outgoing flights today.

He said flights to cities west of the Northeast, including Cincinnati and Chicago, were able to leave this morning and a plane that had been scheduled to go to Atlanta on Tuesday was expected to head to that city – still recovering from snow and ice earlier this week – this afternoon. In addition, a flight from Orlando was still on schedule to land this afternoon and then return to Florida shortly after.

But the planes for flights to other parts of the Northeast, such as New York and Washington, D.C,, never reached Portland, Hughes said, so consequently, those outbound flights won’t take place.

Hughes said he expects the disruption to be a bit less than the first major storm of the season.

“The good news, versus the last time, is it’s not the holiday period,” he said, referring to the snowstorm that hit Dec. 26.

Hughes said the jetport terminal wasn’t at all crowded because most airlines canceled flights well ahead of time, anticipating the storm.

“I won’t say it’s a morgue,” he said of the terminal. “It’s not totally dead, but it’s really quiet.”

10:30 a.m.

PORTLAND — Schools, businesses and government offices have shut down as heavy snow and gusting winds are making for near-blizzard conditions and treacherous driving conditions in Maine.

12 a.m.

The snowstorm that’s expected to dump 8 to 14 inches on southern Maine today shouldn’t catch anyone off guard.

The storm has been forecast all week. Still, public safety officials are concerned that the snow, expected to arrive at daybreak and last all day, will create treacherous conditions for the morning and evening commutes.

“What concerns me is the timing of the storm,” said Rob McAleer, director of Maine’s Emergency Management Agency. “It is going to start during the morning commute, when there won’t be enough snow to slow people down but enough to make it dangerous. the end of the day, there is going to be a lot of snow on the ground.”

McAleer said school superintendents will have to make tough calls on whether to cancel classes. “A lot of those decisions will have to be made based on where the school is,” he said.

Portland is expected to get 8 to 12 inches by the time the storm ends – around midnight – while southern York County could get 12 to 14, said Margaret Curtis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray.

Though visibility will be reduced at times, Curtis said, the storm will not approach blizzard conditions.

“It’s a coastal storm tracking up the Gulf of Maine,” she said. “The entire state will see some snow, but most of it will be concentrated along the coast.”

Portland’s Public Services Department spent most of Tuesday making sure its 37 snow removal trucks were prepared for a long stretch of plowing and loaded with salt and sand. Nicole Clegg, the city’s spokeswoman, said most major streets were to be treated with salt and sand by the time commuters left for work this morning.

“We are paying particular attention to wind gusts,” she said. “Visibility could be impacted during the morning and evening commutes. … We are urging commuters to allow themselves plenty of time to get to and from work.”

Clegg said city officials will meet this morning to discuss whether to ban on-street parking tonight. A decision must be announced before noon to give residents enough notice. Motorists can call 879-0300 or check the Time and Temperature sign for up-to-date parking information.

Whenever a parking ban is called, all vehicles must be off city streets from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. the next day. Vehicles left on the streets will be towed to Portland’s impound lot at the Ocean Gateway terminal.

Anyone who uses the Portland International Jetport is encouraged to call ahead or check online at portlandjetport.org to see if their flight has been canceled or delayed.

Jetport Director Paul Bradbury said he expects the jetport to be open today, but the number of flights may be affected by the amount of snow that major metropolitan airports get.

Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at: dhoey@pressherald.com