BANGOR, Maine — An early winter storm is expected to strike Maine beginning Tuesday morning, bringing with it the potential for as much as a foot of snow in some parts of the state and a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain in other areas.
The storm, expected to hit southwest Maine by daybreak and move north out of the state Wednesday, will result in nasty travel conditions and possibly power outages.
The National Weather Service on Monday issued a winter storm warning for the entire state, effective from Tuesday morning through early Wednesday morning.
Aroostook, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset and Washington counties in the northern and Down East parts of the state are expected to see the most snow — between 8 inches and a foot, forecasters said.
Among the areas likely to be hardest hit include Baker Lake, Billy-Jack Depot, Baxter State Park, Chamberlain Lake, Millinocket, Patten, Medway, Houlton, Dover-Foxcroft, Milo, Greenville, Danforth, Vanceboro and Topsfield.
The forecast for northern Aroostook County — including the towns of Allagash, Fort Kent, Madawaska, Van Buren, Caribou, Presque Isle and Mars Hill — is calling for between 6 and 10 inches of new snow.
The storm warning for northern Maine is in effect from 7 a.m. Tuesday until 7 a.m. Wednesday, forecasters from the weather service’s Caribou office said.
Meanwhile, points south will see a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain from about 4 a.m. through midnight Tuesday.
Between 4 and 8 inches of snow are expected, along with around a tenth of an inch of ice, forecasters in the weather service’s Gray office said.
Emera Maine’s Storm Response Team is closely monitoring the forecast, noting that the storm system already has dumped record amounts of precipitation on several Midwest states.
Spokesman Bob Potts said the utility is readying trucks and appropriate personnel in anticipation of the storm and the possibility of power outages. Field crews, customer service, dispatch and other personnel are standing by should they be needed, he said.