Storm leaves behind snow, slush and a messy cleanup

Another winter storm is in the books — and what it left behind is a lot of heavy, wet slush and snow banks a few inches higher.

The storm came in the form of snow early Wednesday night. Hours later, at about 1:30 a.m., it transitioned to a cold, steady rain which fell for hours, sometimes turning to sleet in sub-freezing temperatures. By Thursday morning what most people found in their yards was mostly slush, ice or some other messy slop.

How much snow did we get? With all that mixed precipitation going on, it’s hard to tell.

“If you didn’t measure your snow in the wee hours, then what you saw at sunrise was likely much less,” according to the National Weather Service in Gray.

According to early reports, the Lewiston and Auburn area saw about six inches of snow followed by nearly two inches of rain. Slightly higher amounts were recorded to the west and in the mountains. The roads were mostly clear by late morning on Thursday, but there were still yards and parking lots that needed work.

Advice from the Weather Service? Take it slow. After a brief melting Thursday afternoon, all of it is going to freeze solid into Friday.

“With temperatures falling overnight, everything will be freezing up,” forecasters wrote. “Temperatures won’t come above freezing (Friday), either. Heavy snow removal comes with it’s own set of risks. Snowblowers are more likely to plug, and excessive physical exertion from shoveling can cause heart attacks. Take your time and be safe as you start to clean things up before it freezes.”

For some, contending with the heavy slush was one thing. Figuring out where to put it was another — after a week of regular storms, the snow was starting to pile up high.

“Spent another two hours clearing from last night’s snow and rain,” wrote Lori A. Hallett of Auburn after another go around in her driveway. “And I don’t even care it’s not as clean as I like it: three storms in six days, and slowly running out of room!”

Temperatures are expected to get above freezing over the weekend when rain is in the forecast. Meteorologists were also watching a storm that could bring up to four inches of snow to the mountain areas on Sunday.