GRAY, Maine — A winter storm warning has been issued for most of southern and western Maine for tonight through Sunday afternoon. The rest of the state is under a less severe winter weather advisory, but in both cases residents should be prepared for snow, sleet, freezing rain and scattered power outages.
The National Weather Service’s Gray forecast center said the storm system could bring up to 8 inches of snow to some communities and the sleet and freezing rain would create dangerous driving conditions.
The winter weather advisory will end at 9 a.m. Sunday along the coast of Hancock and Washington counties, and 10 a.m. Sunday for coastal areas of Cumberland, Waldo and York counties and for the counties of Knox, Lincoln and Sagadahoc.
The advisory will be lifted at noon Sunday in parts of Penobscot, Washington, Hancock and Piscataquis counties where the precipitation will turn to rain with temperatures in the 30s and low 40s.
The winter storm warning will be lifted at 1 p.m. Sunday for Androscoggin, interior Cumberland, interior Waldo, interior York and Kennebec counties. These areas can expect a wintry mix with 4 to 6 inches of snow and a 10th of an inch of ice. The wintry mix is expected to change over to all rain by Sunday morning.
The winter storm warning will be lifted at 4 p.m. Sunday in western Maine. The weather advisory will be lifted at 5 p.m. Sunday in northern Maine. Northern and western areas can expect a wintry mix with up to 8 inches of snow and a 10th of an inch of ice.
The National Weather Service said ice-covered snow could result in scattered power outages.
