LEWISTON – Snow, sleet, rain and ice are in the forecast Wednesday as the latest storm is expected to grind across the area all day and into the night.

It’s the kind of weather that makes even a veteran meteorologist grimace.

“There will be a coating of ice. It will be slippery driving,” said meteorologist Steve Capriola, at the National Weather Service in Gray. “It’s going to be sloppy.”

Most parts of central and southern Maine should see between 6 and 10 inches of snow by the time it ends. Sleet and rain have power crews on guard as lines weighted with ice could result in widespread power outages.

Police departments in most cities and towns were posting parking bans in preparation of an event that should keep public works crews sanding, salting, scraping and plowing all day long.

Capriola predicted the storm will bring a true mixed bag of weather. Starting at midnight, the storm was expected to dump snow then sleet and freezing rain into the early hours of morning.

By the morning commute, several inches of snow are likely to be on the ground before the weather takes a turn for the worse.

In Lewiston and surrounding areas, precipitation should turn to rain Wednesday afternoon, falling on a fresh coat of snow and creating conditions for perilous driving.

Weather forecasters say rain late in the day could be heavy at times, leading to concerns of flooding in some areas.

The National Weather Service on Tuesday issued a winter storm warning that will remain in effect from 6 a.m. Wednesday until midnight. By the time it is over, Maine could see its 100th inch of snow this season. As of Tuesday night, 92 inches had fallen since late fall.

The most recent storm is expected to end Wednesday night and a period of clearing is predicted for Valentine’s Day on Thursday, when it will be mostly sunny and just around freezing.

“That will give us a chance to clean up and dry out,” Capriola said.

Valentine’s revelers should enjoy it while they can. More snow is in the forecast for Friday.