Updated 12:28 p.m.: According to the National Weather Service measurements taken earlier today, Turner led the led the tri-county area with 14 inches of snow. Sanford led the state with 19 inches.

Here are the measurements in inches from Androscoggin, Franklin and Oxford counties:

Androscoggin County

  • Turner: 14
  • Auburn: 9.5
  • Livermore Falls: 9
  • Lewiston: 7.5
  • Poland: 7.5
  • Lisbon Falls: 7
  • Durham: 6.6

Franklin County

  • Farmington: 13.8
  • Farmington: 13.7
  • New Sharon: 12
  • Kingfield: 9
  • Carrabassett Valley 5.7
  • Rangeley: 3
  • Eustis: 2.7

Oxford County

  • Bryant Pond: 13
  • Bethel: 12
  • Otisfield: 11
  • Hartford: 10.3
  • Sumner: 10
  • Newry: 6.3

More recent, non-NWS measures show significant accumulation since this morning.

A snowplow appears to be stranded off the I-295 exit 4 ramp in South Portland on Thursday morning. (Derek E. Davis/Portland Press Herald)

Updated 9:26 a.m.: Central Maine Power reported almost 20,000 customers were without Power in Maine. Locally, that breaks down to:

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  • Androscoggin County: 54
  • Franklin County: 16
  • Oxford County: 97

By 2 p.m., power had been restored to all customers in those three counties, according to CMP’s website.

York County had the most outages with more than 15,000 customers affected.

In this frame from video, a pair of good Samaritans push a motorist who was stuck in deep snow during a snowstorm, Thursday, March 8, 2018, in Freeport, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Updated 9:05 a.m.: All state offices closed Thursday.

A pedestrian crosses Congress Street in Portland on Wednesday evening. A citywide parking ban took effect at 10 p.m. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald)

UPDATED 6:07 A.M.: Thousands of people are without power Thursday morning as a nor’easter continues to bear down on the state.

Intense bands of snow are moving through southern and central Maine and winds are gusting to 40 mph in the pre-dawn hours. Many areas of the state could get up to 18 inches by the time the storm winds down late Thursday

More than 17,000 Central Maine Power customers were without power at 5:30 a.m. Nearly all of those outages are in York County, where the entire town of Eliot is in the dark. The company also reports more than 5,000 outages in Kittery and 2,000 outages in South Berwick. By 2 p.m., that number had risen to 22,214 statewide.

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Snow will continue to fall as much as an inch an hour before tapering off in most areas by 10 a.m. Wind gusts will also become less of an issue as the storm moves to the east.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning lasting through Friday at 1 a.m. because of the severe weather expected across southern, central and Down East Maine.

Maine state offices will open at 10 a.m. Auburn, Lewiston and dozens of towns and cities have closed schools and municipal offices and postponed trash collection. State courts were closed throughout the state.

Parking bans are in effect in Auburn, Lewiston, Portland, South Portland,  Biddeford, Sanford, Yarmouth, Brunswick and Westbrook, among other towns.

The speed limit is reduced for the entire length of the Maine Turnpike. Public safety officials are advising people to stay off the roads while plow crews clear snow.

“I urge all of you to drive safely as you commute to your destination,” said Governor LePage. “Stopping on snow or ice without skidding requires extra time and distance. Drive slowly so you can adjust to changing road conditions,” Gov. Paul LePage reminded drivers in a statement released early Thursday. “Please remember to keep a safe distance behind other vehicles and give plow trucks plenty of room to operate.”

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More than two dozen flights to and from the Portland International Jetport were canceled or delayed.

The Amtrak Downeaster posted a message on its website Wednesday afternoon that said the passenger train service between Brunswick, Portland and Boston is planning to operate “full service through the winter storm today and tomorrow.” The message encouraged potential riders to check the train service’s website for any possible service changes caused by the storm.

In York County, officials are keeping a close eye on coastal areas that were battered for four days during a strong nor’easter last weekend. Many towns reported damaged seawalls and roads and a significant amount of beach erosion.

By 5 a.m., crews in Saco were clearing sand and water from roads in Camp Ellis following a high tide at 3:30 a.m. that caused flooding. North Avenue is closed.

— Gillian Graham, Portland Press Herald


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