FORT KENT, Maine — Parts of Maine saw the first snowfall of the season this weekend, nearly 10 weeks before the official start of winter.
Snow began falling over central and northern Maine on Saturday mborning and continued throughout much of the day. Greenville and Baxter State Park had the greatest accumulations, with between 5 and 6 inches, according to reports posted on social media.
Elsewhere, 4.8 inches of snow was reported west of Dyer Brook in southern Aroostook County, Houlton and Blaine saw 2 inches, Bridgewater recorded and inch and a half, and a trace of snow fell in Caribou, according to Mark Bloomer, meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Caribou.
In parts of the St. John Valley on Saturday the snow covered colorful autumn leaves and coated the ground in the higher elevations.
Officials at Baxter State Park closed down Roaring Brook Road to vehicle traffic after up to 6 inches of snow had fallen there by midday Saturday.
The road, which provides access to trails on the east side of the park, including the Chimney Pond Trail, were closed through Sunday, according to a park dispatcher. Officials will assess conditions Monday and decide then whether to reopen the road, the dispatcher said.
Freezing conditions overnight Saturday created ice on some roadways and were blamed for three cars going off Interstate 95 at mile 291 in Smyrna on Saturday night, injuring three people.
The first measurable snowfall of the season prompted the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory Saturday morning covering northwest Aroostook, northern Somerset and northern Piscataquis counties for high-terrain areas.
Joe Hewitt, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Caribou, said Friday the region experienced a “two-tiered” weather event, with rain Friday and the second system bringing in the cooler air and snow Saturday through Sunday.
“We are in for another cold night tonight,” Bloomer said Sunday afternoon. “We may see a few more flurries that could stray down toward Bangor, too.”
Temperatures on Sunday night were expected to drop to 24 degrees in Bangor, 22 degrees in Caribou and 16 degrees in the northwest corner of the state, before warming slightly as rain or mixed precipitation moves in early in the week.
“It’s going to be clearing out and getting pretty cold,” Bloomer said. “Winter is trying to come, but it’s sort of a give and take this time of the year.”
