MAINE, USA — The start of meteorological spring is only 13 days away from the time of writing this article (starts March 1). March in Maine is still widely considered a winter month, but time is ticking for a prolonged cold stretch with multiple snow storms.
For the last few weeks, the storms that have rolled through have been short-lived events accompanied by 36 to 48 hours of Arctic cold.
Tuesday through Friday is no different.
Snow chances:
Snow showers start up in western Maine right around noon Tuesday. The first flakes fall in the mountains.
As the clock rolls forward into the middle of the afternoon, snow showers overspread the state of Maine.
Snow will likely accumulate on most surfaces, including roadways, through the afternoon and into the evening.
Slick roads are a concern for the Tuesday evening commute. Although snowfall rates do not look super impressive, expect reduced visibility as the snow comes down.
As the storm pivots off the coast of Maine, warmer air sneaks in for a transition to rain along the coastline. There will likely be just a bit of mixing on a line from Sebago to Lewiston to Bangor to Eastport.
South of this line, expect 1-3" of snow with a transition to rain.
North of this line, totals look more like 3-5". There could be a couple of higher totals near Fryeburg or Brownfield, but totals over 6" are still unlikely.
The storm wraps up by sunrise Wednesday, ushering in colder air through the day. Other than isolated slick spots Wednesday morning, conditions will improve quickly for the rest of the day.
Quick cold snap:
It seems like we've kept things pretty toasty this winter. There has not been a very long cold stretch recorded since the winter started. In fact, the number of mornings below zero has been much lower than average in Portland, Augusta, Bangor, and Caribou.
I think we see at least a couple of these areas add another morning below zero on Friday.
Again, this is not long-lived cold. Still, expect blustery conditions on Thursday with one of our coldest mornings this season on Friday.
By Saturday, sunshine is back with plenty of warmth to go around. The pattern looks quiet heading into the weekend, too.
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