Gov. John Baldacci declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon in advance of a blizzard forecasted to dump as much as 18 inches of snow on parts of Maine.

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings Sunday afternoon for virtually all of Maine, including Androscoggin, southern Franklin and southern Oxford counties. The warnings are in place until 5 p.m. Monday.

The Weather Service predicts 10 to 18 inches of snow for much of Maine and New Hampshire, and a possible 20 inches in southern Vermont. High winds threaten to cause whiteout conditions, according to forecasts.

Snow began to fall in Lewiston around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Citing National Weather Service reports, Baldacci ordered that Maine state government services — other than emergency services — stay closed on Monday.

This will be the fifth day off in a row for many state employees, since in addition to the holiday weekend, Thursday, Dec. 23, was a furlough day.

“The best advice is to avoid all unnecessary travel, to stay off the roads and allow road crews and emergency responders to do their work,” Baldacci said.

Auburn enacted a parking ban on all city streets at 8 p.m. Sunday. The ban continues until 8 p.m. tonight.

Lewiston police also announced a parking ban between 9 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. Monday, and warned that the ban may be extended if storm conditions warrant.

In both Lewiston and Auburn, offending vehicles may be towed during the bans.

In Auburn, opening times for city administrative offices and the Auburn City Building are delayed until 9:30 a.m. Monday. 

The winter storm, which caused travel delays Sunday across the northeast, led Amtrak to cancel train service between Boston and Portland Sunday night.

Some flights out of the Portland jetport have been canceled, and Logan International Airport in Boston has also announced numerous flight cancellations.