CARIBOU, Maine — A cold, early March storm pelted most of Maine on Wednesday, coating the state with a mix of rain, freezing rain and up to a foot of snow in some areas. Treacherous roads and gusty winds that knocked out power resulted in several school closures, delays and vehicle crashes.
According to the National Weather Service in Caribou, the St. John Valley got the most snow, with 12 inches falling in Madawaska and Fort Kent as of 5 p.m., and 11 inches in St. Agatha. Caribou accumulated 7.5 inches, a record for the date. Five inches fell in New Sweden while 3 fell in Kingsbury, the highest reported total in Piscataquis County.
Points south of Houlton saw mainly sleet and freezing rain, according to the weather service. The Bangor area saw mostly rain, with temperatures moving into the 40s.
Sunday River and Sugarloaf ski areas in western Maine recorded 6 and 5 inches of new snow, respectively, according to WGME. Rain and freezing rain fell in southern parts of the state.
Emera Maine reported late Wednesday morning that more than 2,500 of its customers were without power because of wind gusts that topped out at 67 mph in Lubec around 9:30 a.m., according to the weather service.
The utility company reported the Lubec area was hit hardest, with more than 1,200 without electricity and damage reported from Atkinson to Mount Desert Island.
All customers were back online by 5 p.m. Wednesday, according to Emera Maine.
Central Maine Power reported no outages as of 5 p.m.
Schools were closed in Madawaska, Maine School Administrative District 27 in Fort Kent, MSAD 24 in Van Buren and MSAD 33 in Frenchville. ACAP offices and services also were closed.
In central Aroostook, freezing rain and snow-covered roadways forced most schools to postpone openings or cancel for the day.
Big Rock Mountain in Mars Hill closed for the day, as did schools in Presque Isle, Easton, Mars Hill, Caribou, Washburn and Limestone. The campus at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle canceled classes, and the University of Maine at Presque Isle canceled all on-campus classes until 5 p.m.
Karen McCarthy of Presque Isle said Wednesday that she endured a “very slippery” commute from Limestone along U.S. Route 1 to Presque Isle during the morning, only to find that ACAP had closed all locations.
“I never thought to check out something like that,” she said.
Although one or two more rounds of snow are forecast for parts of New England and the East Coast starting Friday, the storm is not expected to extend farther north than New York City or Boston, according to a forecast issued late Wednesday afternoon by AccuWeather.
Part of the central Appalachians could see as much of 6 inches of snow, according to the forecast.
Beyond the weekend, however, much warmer conditions are expected to move into the area, signaling an end to wintry weather for some locations.
BDN writers Ryan McLaughlin, Dawn Gagnon and Jen Lynds contributed to this report, as did Don Eno and Rachel Southworth of the St. John Valley Times.