Winter storm hits Maine
12/21/08 | 14 comments
weather update

Winter storm hits Maine


BANGOR, Maine - All of Maine from Bangor north is under a blizzard warning Sunday evening as heavy snows and strong winds moved into the region in the afternoon.

The National Weather Service warned that the combination of falling and blowing snow will create whiteout conditions Sunday into Monday for much of the state. Snow could fall at a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour at the height of the storm and wind gusts reaching 45 mph.

The season’s first Nor’easter is expected to dump anywhere from 10 to 24 inches on Maine, depending on the location. The Bangor area could see up to 18 inches while the area from Baxter State Park north to Houlton could get up to 2 feet of snow, according to the weather service.

The storm had moved into the Bangor area by about 1:30 p.m., and by 3 p.m. many roads were completely coated.

Forecasters warned that strong winds and cross winds could create dangerous conditions on open highways, and that blowing snow would hamper snow removal efforts and create deep drifts on unplowed roads.

“This is a classic Nor'easter,” said meteorologist John Cannon with the National Weather Service. “It's got all the features.”

In addition to the snow, the state was also dealing with frigid temperatures, particularly in northern areas.

The temperature in Allagash early Sunday was 35 below. It hit 34 below in Van Buren and 29 below in Presque Isle. The lowest reading — 40 below zero — was recorded on the Big Black River in northwest Aroostook County.

Even before the storm arrived, municipalities enacted parking bans to make for easier plowing. Civic organizations, churches, sports leagues and other groups canceled events.

State government offices will be closed until at least noon on Monday, with the possibility of a full-day closure. Gov. John Baldacci’s office will announce whether state offices will open at all on Monday by 10 a.m.

In Bangor, an annual memorial service for the homeless was postponed until Monday, while several synagogues in the city canceled parties marking the first night of Hanukkah, Scores of public schools were expected to be closed on Monday.

The governor urged people to avoid all unnecessary travel.

An added twist to Sunday's storm was the possibility of “thunder snow,” a relatively rare event where thunder and lightning occur during a snowstorm, Cannon said. Lightning was expected to light up the sky in places during the storm Sunday evening.

The storm was expected to clear out from south to north beginning late Sunday night through the day Monday.

Sunday's storm was the second in three days to hit the state. On Friday, a storm dropped 6 to 10 inches of snow in much of southern Maine but spared northern sections.

BDN reporter Kevin Miller and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Comments
14 comments on this item
On 12/21/08 at 4:48 PM, Kevin_of_Bangor wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I'm hoping we get the entire 18 inches in Bangor. 3 day weekends are nice.

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On 12/21/08 at 5:33 PM, thekingofmaine wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

lol I work overnights, and I have to drive in this --- twice

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On 12/21/08 at 6:24 PM, Kevin_of_Bangor wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Well the king of nothing I do recall you bragging about how great your car was in the snow. I'll have a beer for you as I sit at home watching the NFL in high def while staying nice and warm.

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On 12/21/08 at 8:58 PM, LincolnMOM wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I have never heard of "Thunder snow"!!! wow I would love to see it. Here in Lincoln the winds from Mt. Katahdin are whipping around us like the North Pole...wicked drifts everywhere!! Its kinda beautiful.

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On 12/21/08 at 9:34 PM, justacommenter wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Yes, i agree Lincolnmom, i live north of you even closer to the mountain, and its beautiful!!! Until i have to plow and snow blow tomorrow.

Have Merry Christmas everyone!!!

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On 12/21/08 at 9:58 PM, RachelPelletier wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

All I want to say is Please Mainers drive carefuly in that kind of weather,no need to be in any hurry just a few days before christmas........At least you will all have a white one at that.Merry christmas and Happy New Year

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On 12/22/08 at 6:56 AM, SteveyDee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Yes I do recall hearing him brag about ABS and traction control was the best. I prefer the 4 wheel drive heavy chevy with a 8 ft fisher plow myself. Thunder snow is cool.

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On 12/22/08 at 7:06 PM, Alaskanmainah wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I don't know what all of the fuss is about. According to Al Gore the planet is heating up and are headed toward a global warming catastrophe. SO it can't be snowing in Maine, just like it is not currently minus 45 here in the interior of Alaska. Oh well I have to go shovel the global warming from around my car so I can go to work. Don't forget to wear your sun block when cleaning up the global warming

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On 12/22/08 at 7:29 PM, Kevin_of_Bangor wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Alaskan you need to educate yourself about global warming. You are very ignornat about it. Global warming can cause global cooling. Its happened in the past. Educate yourself about a subject before you post about something you have no clue about.

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On 12/22/08 at 8:06 PM, Alaskanmainah wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Kevin of Bangor, global warming can cause global cooling. What is your degree in? And who are you to call people ignorant? You don't know me. As for educating myself on the subject, I live in Alaska. For all you know I could be here as a climatological anthropologist studying the effects of the past 5 years of record breaking low temperatures on the perma frost that have been occurring here in the interior of Alaska. New perma frost is being created in areas where there has not been any perma frost for thousands of years. So before you suggest more education on this subject to someone you don't even know, I suggest you re-read my previous post. If you cannot see the sarcasm in it then maybe you should educate yourself. I was trying to keep it light due to the amount of snow Maine is receiving. But apparently you are too cynical to see humor. Further, we see all of the bogus reports of the polar ice sheets melting. Funny how those reports always come out in july and august. Never see any reports about the polar ice sheets growing by 200 miles or more in the winter though do you? And Kevin, lighten up, life is too short and you are too young to be that cynical. Have a great day.

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On 12/22/08 at 8:41 PM, truckmen wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Wooo HOOooooooo. I LOVE Maine!

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On 12/22/08 at 9:06 PM, Kevin_of_Bangor wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

If that was your attempt at being sarcastic you failed badly. There was nothing sarcastic about it and I understand sarcasm rather well. About the only thing that could have been taken as a joke from your first post was the sun block comment and that is it. The rest is what people spew about global warming when they have no clue what global warming is all about.

As for the ice caps, I do not study them. I'm more concerned about global cooling caused by global warming because we could be heading for the next ice age and cold weather has become more common in a lot of places and snow falls where it has not in years so when this happens a lot of people think global warming is a myth because it snowed in Vegas or Maine was pounded by a blizzard. Sadly the term global warming is very misleading and confuses a lot of people.

Thank you for responding and showing you are not ignorant but the humor needs some working.

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On 12/23/08 at 7:05 AM, SteveyDee wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

Man don't pick on Mr. Gore. He invented the internet.

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On 12/27/08 at 5:05 AM, fledgeling wrote:         Repeated separate thumbs down will cause comment to be hidden

I came from Mass about 4 years ago, and never really worried about snow storms, but my husband and I felt we actually might die in that storm. He has been very ill on chemo, and when our power went out, at 10pm, we had no phone, and our generator was buried under 4 feet of snow, and wouldn't start. My husband collapsed outside, and after bringing him in, and getting him to bed, I made my way to find help. My two neighbors were gone, and i struggled through to find someone with lights. I stopped to rest, and actually fell asleep. Thank God I woke up, found help, and we are here to talk about it. The temp in the house had dropped to 38 degrees, by 2am, and I thought my companion Parrots (9 of them!) would die for sure. We all made it through, and have taken steps to insure that we are never at risk like this again. PLEASE if you live in a remote area, be prepared for such emergencies, because up here in this remote place, if you don't have a network of family and friends, especially, You really could die ! We never think that something like that is really possible, but let me tell you, I actually thought we might. Or at the least. lose our beloved pets. Same thing if you travel the airline road at night. Bring extra blankets, and clothing, in case you break down. It might save your life!

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