Just days after a late-season storm brought a several inches of snow to parts of the state, another round of wet, heavy snow is forecast to deliver a few more short-lived inches of snow to central Maine.
The storm could bring several inches of snow to the Waterville and Augusta areas today into Wednesday, but towns in Franklin and Somerset counties could get up to half a foot, according to Eric Schwibs, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Gray. Updated weather service forecasts today predicted 4-6 inches for much of central Maine, with areas of Franklin County getting as much as 6-8 inches.
Latest snowfall forecast. If traveling away from the coast, prepare for winter driving conditions. It's not quite spring yet out there. pic.twitter.com/Jt2J6Q1ENE
— NWS Gray (@NWSGray) April 4, 2017
Schwibs said the storm should wind down gradually tonight and probably would shift to rain sometime this afternoon. He said snow that accumulates should melt fairly quickly, as sun and temperature above freezing are expected to return during the week.
Schwibs said drivers should expect a slick commute, but said the evening commute in areas such as Waterville and Augusta wouldn’t be a problem. However, he said conditions in Franklin and Somerset counties could be bad this evening.
He didn’t expect high wind with the storm, and said in Waterville the snow accumulation probably wouldn’t be large enough to cause power outages, but that outages were possible in areas with higher accumulations. Incoming warmer air will cause sleet and rain, he said.
Schwibs said more rain is expected in a storm later this week, but winter and snowfall aren’t necessarily over, even though it’s April. There have been measurable snowfalls into May, he noted.
“It ain’t over until it’s over,” he said.
Colin Ellis — 861-9253
cellis@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @colinoellis
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