LEWISTON – Schools were closed, city offices shut down and banks were locked up tight. It had nothing to do with a daylong snowstorm however, as many people enjoyed the luxury of spending Presidents Day at home.
Police said the holiday may have helped keep car crashes to a minimum as snow fell throughout the day.
“It’s been basically a non-event,” said Lewiston police Lt. Mark Watson. “Public Works has been on top of things and there have been few accidents.”
There were a handful of wrecks across the Twin Cities by the end of the day, but no serious injuries were reported. By nightfall, 6 inches of snow had fallen.
Slick roads caused pile-ups on the highways and there were scattered crashes throughout the region. In Lewiston and Auburn though, people were either staying home or driving more prudently.
In Auburn, where crashes usually number in the dozens during a storm, there had only been 14 reported by 7 p.m. and just about all of them were minor. Two cars were reported off the road without damage in the same period.
“Considering the storm started before the morning commute, continued through the lunch hour and was still going into the evening commute, it’s been better than expected,” said Auburn police Lt. Tim Cougle. “People finally get it. You’ve got to slow down in this type of weather.”
The long-winded storm, with gusting winds and temperatures that dropped below 20 degrees by night, was expected to grind into Tuesday. Public works trucks roared through the cities throughout the day and into the night.
Otherwise, police said there was little to get excited about as the second February storm continued to dump snow into the night.
“It’s Maine,” Watson said. “We’re used to this type of weather.”
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