A late-winter storm that rolled through Maine on Saturday left about 10 inches of wet, heavy snow in the high mountains, 5 inches in the foothills and a slushy mess in lower-lying areas of the state and the coast, according to the National Weather Service.
Despite the heavy rain that fell in some areas, the state’s rivers were holding steady by nightfall. Wind gusts of up to 25 miles per hour were recorded throughout the day across much of the state. As night fell, the wind had picked up in western and southern Maine, blowing as hard as 45 mph.
The storm unfolded as anticipated, said lead meteorologist Maura Casey, based at the weather service’s Gray office.
“We’ll get a couple more inches in the mountains, maybe one or two on the coast, but now our attention turns to the wind,” Casey said about 5:30 p.m. Saturday. “It’s pretty gusty out there. With temperatures dropping fast, travel isn’t going to be too great. Poor visibility, slick spots and now wind.”
At the request of the Maine State Police, the Maine Turnpike Authority reduced the speed limit to 45 mph from the New Hampshire border to the end of the turnpike at mile 109 in Augusta from 4:30 to about 8 p.m. due to snowy conditions.
The windy conditions led to some power outages, too. As of 6 p.m. Saturday, Central Maine Power was reporting about 500 customers without power, concentrated in the western and northwestern parts of the state in Oxford and Somerset counties. Power was restored to all but three dozen homes by 10 p.m.
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