CARIBOU (AP) – It was blowing and snowing Friday as strong winds buffeted the state and knocked out electricity for thousands of Mainers, while heavy snow left a blanket of white across northern Maine.

Northern Maine received its first measurable snowfall, and it happened in a big way: Caribou recorded 10 inches by the time the system passed Friday night. But forecasters were predicting more light snow across northern Maine today.

This late in the year, the snow doesn’t come as a surprise to some.

“We’re a little late. It should have started already,” said Pete Roderick, 64, who live in Presque Isle but works in Caribou. He added that the storm was only the beginning. Like most winters, there’s more in the making, Roderick said.

Elsewhere on Friday, strong winds were a problem from the mountains of western Maine to the coast from Kittery to Rockland. Wind gusts up to 45 mph were forecast for the afternoon and evening.

A low-pressure system kept winds at bay for most of the day in northern Maine, but the winds were expected to arrive later, reducing visibility for motorists with blowing snow, said Alex Calderon, another meteorologist in Caribou.

Snow totals ranged from a trace in Danforth in Washington County to 12 inches at Grand Isle along the St. John River in Aroostook.