Maine will see light snow across the state Thursday. But that’s just a preview of more significant snowfall coming this weekend.
The storm will move through the state through early Thursday afternoon. It will bring mainly rain to the coast and snow farther inland. That will wrap up by the evening and the skies will clear overnight.
The heaviest accumulation is expected for the foothills and mountains, where 2 to 5 inches are forecast. That amount falls off for other inland areas, with just 1 to 3 inches forecast. Whatever accumulation the coast sees will amount to less than an inch.
Friday will start out sunny, with highs reaching near 40 degrees in the afternoon. Clouds begin moving in by the afternoon, a prelude to snow falling starting around midnight.
Snow will quickly ramp up by Saturday morning and last for much of the day. That snowfall is expected to be significant, heavy and wet, especially in southern Maine.
The forecast calls for 8 to 12 inches for a swath of the state stretching from Lewiston to Greater Portland to the New Hampshire border. Some areas could see snow accumulation greater than a foot.
That snowfall will lessen from Augusta to north, with a sharp drop-off in totals farther north.
Winds will gust up to 40 mph or possibly higher along the coastline. That coupled with heavy snow could lead to power outages.
A much quieter stretch of weather begins Sunday.
The sunshine returns Monday, and other than some scattered rain and snow showers toward the middle of next week, the weather is looking pretty quiet.