Another wave of energy rolls through this week to impact the commute for Mainers.

For the last few weeks, the storms that have rolled through have been short-lived events accompanied by 36 to 48 hours of Arctic cold.

SNOW CHANCES:

Snow showers start up in western Maine right around noon Tuesday. The first flakes fall in the mountains.

Timing for first flakes Tuesday. NEWS CENTER Maine

As the clock rolls forward into the middle of the afternoon, snow showers overspread the state of Maine.

Expect snow at the onset of this storm with a transition to rain along the coast. NEWS CENTER Maine

Snow will likely accumulate on most surfaces, including roadways, through the afternoon and evening.

Slick roads are a concern for the Tuesday evening commute. Although snowfall rates do not look super impressive, expect reduced visibility as the snow comes down.

As the storm pivots off the coast of Maine, warmer air sneaks in for a transition to rain along the coastline. There will likely be just a bit of mixing on a line from Sebago to Lewiston to Bangor to Eastport.

South of this line, expect 1 to 3 inches of snow with a transition to rain.

North of this line, totals look more like 3 to 5 inches. There could be a couple of higher totals near Fryeburg or Brownfield, but totals over 6 inches are still unlikely.

Forecast snow totals Tuesday. NEWS CENTER Maine

The storm wraps up by sunrise Wednesday, ushering in colder air through the day. Other than isolated slick spots Wednesday morning, conditions will improve quickly for the rest of the day.

The storm clears quickly on Wednesday morning. NEWS CENTER Maine

QUICK COLD SNAP:

It seems like we’ve kept things pretty toasty this winter. There has not been a very long cold stretch recorded since the winter started. In fact, the number of mornings below zero has been much lower than average in Portland, Augusta, Bangor and Caribou.

Mornings below zero this winter. NEWS CENTER Maine

I think we’ll see at least a couple of these areas add another morning below zero on Friday.

Again, this is not long-lived cold. Still, expect blustery conditions on Thursday with one of our coldest mornings this season on Friday.

The “feels like” temperature on Thursday afternoon. NEWS CENTER Maine

Another cold morning is on the way Friday.

By Saturday, sunshine is back with plenty of warmth to go around. The pattern looks quiet heading into the weekend, too.

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