Following a Nor’easter that pummeled the state with heavy snow and wind, Mainers now have to worry about poor visibility and digging themselves out.
Although the snow has stopped falling, high winds will make blowing snow a dangerous risk on Sunday, reducing visibility and causing difficult driving conditions, according to the National Weather Service in Caribou.
Many parts of the state — particularly along the coast — saw more than a foot of snow.
In the southern part of the state, Portland reported 12.7 inches, Brunswick reported 18 inches and Lewiston reported 16 inches of snow as of 12:30 p.m., according to NWS Gray. Bath recorded the most snowfall in that region with 20 inches.
Meanwhile, Bangor reported 19 inches of snow and Ellsworth reported 12 inches. Veazie saw the most snowfall in the Bangor area with 22 inches reported, according to NWS Caribou.
In Bangor, there is a downtown parking ban in effect from 11 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday to allow for snow removal. Vehicles left on the street or in city parking lots may be ticketed and towed, Bangor officials said.
The heavy snow band arrived in Aroostook County Saturday evening. NWS Caribou was reporting 7 inches of snow as of 9 p.m. Saturday with 3 inches falling over the course of 1 ½ hours. By 12:30 p.m. the following afternoon, Houlton recorded 15 inches while Caribou reported 12.2 inches.
In the past 24 hours, winds well over 20 mph were being recorded. Early Saturday evening, Bangor recorded winds up to 51 mph while Naskeag in Hancock county recorded winds up to 66 mph. The towns with the lowest wind speeds were Fort Kent and Millinocket at 25 mph.
As of Sunday afternoon, only a few dozen Mainers are without power with 37 Versant Power customers and 105 Central Maine Power customers without electricity.