LEWISTON – If you’ve been thinking this December has been snowier than usual, you’re right.

By 9:30 Thursday morning, the National Weather Service had recorded a total of 27.7 inches of snow at Portland International Jetport.

This December has surpassed 1890’s mark of 25.7 inches to become the 10th-snowiest December in Maine’s history.

“Depending on what happens for the rest of the month, it could be greater than that,” meteorologist John Jensenius said Thursday.

As usual on snowy days, roads were slushy and slick Thursday – but heavy snow in the beginning of the month may have paid off: Only two accidents had been reported Thursday in Lewiston by late Thursday afternoon.

No injuries and only minimal damage were reported.

“That’s normal for a snow day,” police Lt. Mark Watson said. “I’ve seen more accidents on a day when it’s sunny out, because people are relatively cautious when the roads get snow-covered. They usually slow down.”

In Auburn, however, things were different. “We’ve had at least a dozen so far,” Sgt. James Robichaud said Thursday. “Nothing major – fender-benders and cars sliding off the road.”

In Auburn, as in Lewiston, the accident level was normal for the weather, Robichaud said. After dark Thursday, police in both cities and around the county said they had responded to reports of vehicles off roads, but no significant crashes.

In a month that’s usually better known for chilly expanses of brown grass and leafless trees – and people pining for white Christmases that seldom materialize – the heavy snowfall is making more than just romantics happy.

“This (natural) snow is going to allow us to save so much money on snowmaking,” said Francis Gagnon, a member of the board that oversees operations at Spruce Mountain Ski Club in Jay. “We will be totally open when we do open.”

More precipitation is forecast for early next week, Jensenius said, although it will likely come in the form of rain, not snow.

“Highs on Sunday should be in the upper 30s,” he said.

The Lewiston-Auburn area has so much snow on the ground that a little rain shouldn’t diminish hopes for a white holiday.

“We’re not in danger of losing all the snow,” Jensenius said.

Yet more precipitation – whether it’ll be rain or snow is anybody’s guess at this point – is on tap for later on next week, he said.

Even if it’s more snow, this month likely won’t come close to the snowiest December in Maine’s recorded history. “The greatest, which occurred in 1970, was 54.8 inches,” Jensenius said. “The winter of 1970-1971 was very snowy and cold.”

Another relatively recent December (1995) saw 37.3 inches.

Records go back to 1881, Jensenius said. Snowfall has always been recorded around the Portland area – although, obviously, not always at the Jetport.

In addition to being snowy, this December has also been remarkably cold, he said. “To date, we’ve had 706 heating degree days (a measure of cold), and normally we have 594.”

Winter officially arrives at 1:08 a.m. Saturday.