FREEPORT, Maine — Mainers in much of the state saw nearly half a foot of snow overnight Saturday, with freezing rain creeping north in the early hours Sunday.
But forecasters say snow is the least of our worries this week, as January settles in and temperatures in some areas of Maine reach wind chills of 25 to 30 degrees below zero in the north — and not much warmer in the south.
“Cold. It looks like it’s going to be extremely cold,” said Pete Rahe, observing program leader for the National Weather Service in Caribou.
Monday morning, temperatures will descend from about 20 degrees to 1 degree below zero by 1 p.m. in Caribou, reaching 15 to 20 degrees below zero by midweek, and barely into the single digits Down East, according to Rahe.
Temperatures in the southwestern part of the state will climb into the lower 40s in some areas by about 6 p.m. Sunday before dropping — and continuing to slide — throughout the week.
Monday will see highs in the 30s except for the furthest interior sections, which may reach the lower 20s.
“By Thursday we’re looking for high temperatures in the lower teens to single digits even, near the coast, and in negative numbers in the interior,” she said.
Wind chill advisories were in place late Sunday afternoon through 10 a.m. Tuesday for most of central, northern and Down East Maine, according to the National Weather Service.
Snow began falling at the Portland International Jetport at 6:18 p.m Saturday, according to meteorologist Nikki Becker and the National Weather Service in Gray, and changed to a sleet mix near 1 a.m. Sunday before becoming predominantly freezing rain that lasted until after 10 a.m. Sunday.
Snowfall ranged from 9.5 inches in Farmington to 2 to 5 inches along the coast, with northern and Down East Maine seeing 5 to 6 inches of snow.
“We just got our very first report of freezing rain and drizzle starting to develop in Hancock County and the coastal areas,” Rahe said just after 10 a.m.
Mainers have thus far done a great job driving carefully in the inclement weather or managing to stay off the roads, a Penobscot County Regional Communications Center dispatcher said. No major accidents — and surprisingly few minor ones — were reported by late Sunday morning, according to dispatchers in several counties.
The dispatcher complimented weather forecasters for keeping the public well informed about the incoming storm.