Call it a weather whammy.

First there’s the flood watch.

The Androscoggin and Swift rivers in Bethel and Roxbury were at risk of bursting their banks Thursday night.

“Ice floes are running” on both rivers, said Tom Berman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray. Should the floes jam, a combination of rain and melt water could back up and eventually flood lowlands along the rivers’ paths.

Next is a hazardous weather outlook posted by the NWS. That covers both the flood watch as well as a winter storm watch eyeing a nor’easter that’s bearing down on Maine.

Expect up to 10 inches of snow to fall in inland areas by Saturday before a changeover to rain. “More in the mountains,” Berman said.

It’ll probably be heavy snow; there’s a fair amount of moisture associated with the storm.

The storm cloud’s silver lining: The nor’easter is pulling in colder air from Canada. That will slow melting and turn rain to snow, easing the threat of floods, Berman said.

Another bright spot: Fresh snow should make for great late winter and early spring skiing at western Maine’s resorts, he said.

Berman said the looming nor’easter isn’t unusual for Maine at this time of year.

“We always get spring storms,” he pointed out.

Spring officially arrives next Wednesday, the 21st.

Mud season seems to have come early, though. Berman said he found fair evidence of mud on a walk he took earlier this week.

Has anyone seen a robin?

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