Maine finally got a dose of winter weather as a storm dropped more than a half-foot of snow in some areas Friday, and the next one is on its way.

Most of southern Maine had already received 4 to 6 inches of snow by Friday morning, with heavy snowfall ending by sunrise. Several more inches accumulated throughout the day before the snow tapered off Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service reported at 7 p.m. that 8 inches of snow had fallen at the Portland International Jetport and 6.7 inches in Gray. Other Cumberland County snowfall reports included 8.1 inches in Cumberland, 7.7 in Gorham and 6 in Topsham by 3 p.m. In York County, reports included 7.7 inches in Hollis, 7.7 inches in East Baldwin, 7.3 inches in Shapleigh and 3.7 in Kennebunkport, the weather service reported.

Meteorologist Stephen Baron said the weather service is monitoring another storm that should arrive Sunday night through Monday. Interior parts of the state should see more snow, although it was too early to forecast the number of inches. The coast could get snow or rain.

“The models are flopping back and forth,” Baron said. “The area of concern is the coast. It’s hard to pin down at the moment.”

“We’ll take it one storm at a time,” he added.

The arrival of the first significant snowfall of the winter was welcome at Harris Farm in Dayton. Owner Dixie Harris said people have been anxiously awaiting the chance to get out on the trails with their cross-country skis and snowshoes.

“We’re very excited to finally have the trails open,” she said. “This is the first snow we’ve had that’s enough to get skiing.”

Graysen Ball, 5, perfects his snowball using a stick to smooth it while his mom Lori Ball shovels the sidewalk in front of their home in Portland on Friday, January 20, 2023. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

Pineland Farms in New Gloucester also has opened its trails for snowshoeing and skiing.

“We have fresh snow! The groomers are out assessing snow conditions,” Pineland Farms wrote in the Friday trail report.

A snowshoe tour of Pleasant Hill hosted by the Scarborough Land Trust on Saturday would have taken place on foot without the snow. But with a bit of fresh snow on the ground, participants will be able to strap on their snowshoes for the guided tour.

“We’re excited we actually have snow,” said Andrew Mackie, the trust’s executive director. “In reality, for snowshoeing, it would be nice to have even more.”

The land trust offers several snowshoe tours and contemplative walks throughout winter that are proving to be very popular. Mackie said some people enjoy being out on the land trust properties in winter because they are less busy and there are fewer concerns about ticks, mosquitos and black flies.

“And some people just like the quiet of winter,” he said.

TRICKY TRAVEL

The Maine Emergency Management Agency urged drivers who needed to go out to allow for extra travel time during both the morning and evening commutes.

“We have watched the storm progress throughout the week, and we have spoken with our partners from the National Weather Service and Maine Department of Transportation,” MEMA Director Peter Rogers said. “Although the storm is expected to be a primarily a snow event, the morning and evening commutes could be slick. Please use caution and also leave enough space on the road for snow plows and emergency first responders.”

On Friday morning, dispatchers in Cumberland County received reports of cars sliding off roads across the county. In Portland, a short stretch of Interstate 295 northbound near Exit 7 was blocked by a tractor-trailer that slid across the roadway.

There were several crashes on the Maine Turnpike, as well, including an overnight crash in Scarborough that blocked two lanes of traffic. Shortly before 8 a.m. in Gray, a crash was reported near mile marker 63 involving a couple of tractor-trailers.

The speed limit was reduced to 45 mph for the entire length of the Maine Turnpike.

By late morning, traffic seemed to be moving easily and plows had cleared most major town and city streets. That left it to people like Katharine Witham of Saco to clear driveways and walkways around their houses. Witham, who lives on James Street, said she discovered Friday morning that her snowblower wasn’t working.

Maren McKenna scrapes the snow off of her car in Portland on Friday. McKenna said she works from home but wanted to get her car out of the way so they could plow. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

“It hasn’t been used enough,” Witham said, cheerfully setting to work with a shovel.

Witham said she hasn’t missed the snow much this winter, although “we could have used it at Christmas.”

JETPORT NOT AFFECTED

The storm did not appear to impact the Portland International Jetport, where no delays or cancellations were reported Friday.

Portland declared a citywide parking ban that started at 10 p.m. Friday and ran through 6 a.m. Saturday. Officials reminded residents that cars parked in city lots must be moved by 6:30 or 7 a.m., depending on the lot. Cars can remain at the promenades, State Street Extension and Marginal Way lots until 8 a.m.

Westbrook and Brunswick also announced overnight parking bans to allow crews to clear roads and sidewalks.

School districts across southern Maine, including Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, canceled school on Friday. The storm also prompted some public libraries and town offices to close for the day. District and superior courts in Cumberland, York, Androscoggin, Franklin, Kennebec, Knox and Lincoln counties were not open Friday.

As of 8:10 a.m. Saturday, Central Maine Power reported 1,274 total outages with 1,271 of them in York.

After this storm, Mainers won’t have to wait long for more precipitation. Another storm is expected to arrive late Sunday afternoon or early evening, with some mixing along the coast that could transition to rain, according to the weather service.

Staff Writers Edward D. Murphy and Megan Gray contributed to this report.

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