PORTLAND — Cold weather has finally arrived for most of Maine and will be with us for all of this week.
A storm system moves in Wednesday, bringing much of Maine accumulating snow. We remain cold into next weekend.
Monday will be windy and chilly, but with sunny skies.
Highs will reach the upper 30s and low 40s for the afternoon with blustery winds, so wind chills will remain in the 20s and low 30s.
Much calmer winds in store for Tuesday, but still very cool with highs in the low 40s.
Clouds begin to increase on Tuesday afternoon ahead of the winter storm on Wednesday.
A look at Wednesday snow totals. Highest totals in the mountains, coastal areas see a coating up to an inch or 2 before changing over to rain. Some sleet for inland areas may cut into snow totals as well. WGME graphic
A coastal low will develop and move through the gulf of Maine on Wednesday.
With chilly temperatures, many of us will see snow through the day on Wednesday.
Who sees accumulating snow will depend on the placement of a front at the coast.
If the front pushes inland quickly, coastal areas will change over to rain very quickly and avoid much accumulation.
If that changeover takes longer, we could end up with higher accumulations at the coast and slick travel.
For inland areas, several inches of snow are a better bet. While some sleet could mix in and cut down totals a bit, most inland areas will keep snow falling all through the day on Wednesday. Mountains should see the highest totals, with some areas approaching double digit totals.
In the transition zone between lower and higher totals. Around 2 inches expected, but up to 4 inches will be possible.
Far inland and mountains, a much lower risk of rain or sleet mixing in means plenty of snow for the mountains and ski areas. Four to 8 inches look very likely, with double digit totals certainly possible.
All of this could easily shift depending on the track of the storm.
Quieter for the end of the week, but still very chilly. Highs will be in the upper 30s and low 40s on Thursday and Friday, with some lingering snow showers and flurries in the mountains.
Even colder air arrives next week, and there are some signs of more snow chances. We’ll be watching the forecast closely through this week.
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