Police blamed a spate of fender-benders throughout the Twin Cities on a slushy April storm that slopped its way across Central Maine on Wednesday.

Police recorded seven accidents apiece in Lewiston and Auburn on Wednesday – most were caused by the storm.

“We had them sliding off the road, into trees and into houses,” said Lewiston police Sgt. Danny Lachance.

Police said Shelly Sturtevant, 35, of Auburn was driving her 2004 GMC Envoy SUV up a small grade on Lamont Avenue about 5:05 p.m. Wednesday, when she lost control. It careened into a house at 58 Lamont St., startling occupants Richard and Theresa Labbe and damaging the porch and the building’s foundation. The Labbes were not injured, but Sturtevant complained of pain.

“She said she just lost control on the snow, and couldn’t stop,” said police Sgt. Jeff Parshall.

No charges were filed.

Lachance said an officer was investigating another accident on Randall Road in Lewiston when a driver lost control of her car, which slid into his cruiser. “I don’t know if it was the slush or what, but we’ve had numerous accidents,” Lachance said.

John Cannon, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Gray office, said Wednesday’s storm was especially wet.

“We’ve been warm, and that means the snow melts on the ground,” he said. “You get more snow falling and it gets very slushy. And that’s when it tends to get very slick.”

The storm dumped up to 4 inches across Central Maine. It was expected to taper off late Wednesday but be followed by a heavier storm into this morning. Both Lewiston and Auburn issued parking bans for today. Lewiston’s runs until 3 p.m., Auburn’s until 11 p.m.

Parking along city snow plow routes in Auburn have been banned until 11 tonight.

Cannon said the storm was a typical nor’easter.

“April snows like this are not all that uncommon – and we are very early in April,” he said. “It’s different along the coast, but the farther north you go and the deeper into the foothills, the more likely you are to see storms like this until May.”