FORT KENT — Most Mainers expecting to wake up to blizzard conditions Sunday morning were either disappointed or relieved, as the National Weather Service dropped the expected amount of snowfall over most of the state.
Heavy snow and high winds are still expected along the coast in far eastern and Down East Maine, according to Victor Nouhan, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service in Caribou.
On Sunday morning Nouhan said areas of Down East had received around a foot of snow overnight and could see an additional 6 to 12 inches throughout the day.
Snowfall amounts will taper off dramatically moving to the north, he said, with the St. John Valley and parts of Aroostook County seeing only several inches of snow on Sunday.
Previous snow accumulation estimates exceeded two feet in much of southern, eastern and central Maine. The National Weather Service continues to forecast near-blizzard conditions for Down East Maine, with wind gusts perhaps exceeding 50 mph.
Nouhan said the snow totals were lowered after the track of the storm’s low took it farther to the east than originally anticipated.
In addition, he said the temperatures in the upper atmosphere remained too cold and dry to produce heavy snow.
Throughout the state wind will be the story of the day, Nouhan said, with wind speeds of 40 to 50 mph expected along the coast and 30 to 40 mph further inland.
“So any snow that does fall will blow and drift,” he said. “But with the lesser amounts we are not looking at the extreme travel conditions we had anticipated.”
The state’s power companies are gearing up for the storm, with plans to add extra crews in the event of power outages.
“We’ve put our storm response plan into motion,” Central Maine Power spokeswoman Gail Rice said Friday. “The snow is expected to be dry and less likely to coat tree limbs and wires, so high winds and slippery roads are likely to be the primary cause of any outages.”
Customers are urged to keep battery-operated flashlights and radios handy in case of a power outage, along with a supply of drinking water and nonperishable foods. Mobile devices should be fully charged, and fuel tanks of vehicles filled. Customers with generators are urged to follow manufacturers’ suggestions.
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