Another major winter storm is brewing for Sunday into Monday, but the National Weather Service says it’s not yet clear whether it will bring rain or snow to coastal areas.
Meteorologist James Brown at the weather service office in Gray said “there certainly is potential” that a nor’easter arriving Sunday evening could dump up to 2 feet of snow along the entire coast of Maine by Monday night. Areas farther inland could receive about a foot.
“But there is one caveat,” Brown said. “If the storm comes close enough to the coast, the coast might actually get rain instead of snow.”
As of Friday night, Brown was leaning toward the precipitation falling as snow. The weather service will have a much better idea of how the storm will manifest itself by Saturday night, he said.
Maine is expected to receive more snow even before the nor’easter arrives.
Beginning early Saturday, most coastal areas from Kittery to Belfast are expected to receive 3 to 4 inches of snow, the weather service said. Inland areas are expected to receive 1 to 3 inches. The snowfall should begin about 5 a.m. in Portland.
The high in Portland on Saturday will be about 29 degrees with wind chill values as low as minus 2. Winds will be 5 to 10 mph, with gusts up to 20 mph.
During the day Sunday, another 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation is likely, the weather service said. The high in Portland will be near 35 degrees with winds 10 to 15 mph.
A fast-moving storm blew through Maine on Thursday, closing hundreds of schools, government offices and businesses, creating dangerous driving conditions and leaving some sections of Maine buried under more than a foot of snow.
York County got slammed, with Berwick reporting accumulations of 16.8 inches. Kennebunk got 13 inches and Saco 11. Lesser amounts were reported in Cumberland County, where 7.5 inches of snow fell at the Portland International Jetport, 8 inches in Westbrook, 8 inches in Yarmouth and 6 inches in Freeport. Farther inland, the totals were higher. Sebago and New Gloucester each reported getting 10.5 inches of snow. Lewiston reported 11.5 inches.
As of Friday night, the snowfall total at the Portland jetport since July 1 was 38.9 inches, Brown said. A year ago on Feb. 10, the total was 34.5 inches, and the average for the date is 37 inches.
J. Craig Anderson can be contacted at 791-6390 or at:
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