Maine residents who have dug out from Saturday’s snowstorm might not want to get too comfortable.
Another storm expected to track over the Gulf of Maine is predicted to bring heavy snow, high winds and cold temperatures to the state between Monday night and early Wednesday, according to forecasters.
The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for much of Maine, including all coastal counties and Androscoggin, Kennebec and southern Penobscot counties. The rest of the state is under a winter storm warning.
Between 18 and 24 inches of snow is being predicted for all areas under the blizzard warning, while the highest winds are expected in southern Penobscot County and Hancock and Washington counties.
The blizzard warning for eastern Maine is from 4 a.m. Tuesday until 1 a.m. Wednesday. Wind speeds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts as high as 55 mph are expected for this part of the state, with temperatures ranging from low single digits into the 20s.
In southern and central Maine, the blizzard warning is from 10 p.m. Monday until 4 a.m. Wednesday. Winds there are expected to range from 15 to 25 mph with gusts as high as 45 mph. Temperatures will range from high single-digits into the low 20s.
“This will lead to whiteout conditions, making travel extremely dangerous,” The National Weather Service office in Caribou wrote in the warning Sunday afternoon. “Do not travel. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you.”
A wind chill advisory has been issued for overnight Sunday into Monday morning for far northern Maine, including northern Piscataquis and northern Penobscot counties. Wind chills as low as 26 below zero are predicted.
In northern and western counties, a winter storm watch is in effect, beginning Monday night in the western part of the state and extending through Wednesday afternoon in far northern Maine. Forecasters predict between 10 and 14 inches of snow in northern Maine and slightly more accumulation in the western mountains. Wind speeds between 10 and 20 with gusts up to 35 mph are predicted for all areas not subject to the blizzard warning.
On Saturday, 3.5 inches of snow fell in the Bangor area, the weather service said, while areas in interior Hancock and Washington counties got as much as twice that amount.
