Sunday’s snowstorm, the first of 2024, proved even bigger in parts of Maine than had been forecasted.

Egide Nshimiyimana runs through Sunday’s snowstorm in downtown Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

While the snowfall in much of the state fell between what had been predicted, parts of Cumberland and York counties exceeded the National Weather Service’s 10-inch estimate.

Hollis saw more than 17 inches of snow by about 4:45 p.m., Acton 15 inches by 1:30 p.m. and Bridgton 14 inches by about 3 p.m.

Baldwin, Waterboro, Windham, Falmouth, Cumberland and Portland saw more than 10 inches, according to readings shortly before 2 p.m., which put areas of southern and coastal Maine well beyond forecasters’ high estimates.

By early afternoon, Auburn, Lewiston and Lisbon saw 4 to 5 inches of snow accumulation, which put the region on target for its high estimate of 7 inches before the end of the day.

Estimates for the Lewiston-Auburn area stretch as far as Brownfield in Oxford County, which saw nearly 10 inches by about 2:30 p.m. Final numbers after the expected snowfall Sunday evening would put some areas well beyond the 7-inch snowfall prediction.

“This has definitely been a tricky one to nail down,” said meteorologist Greg Cornwell of the National Weather Service. “There’s been kind of a corridor of double-digit snowfall that fell roughly from just north of the Portland area west across northern York County and then in towards Lake Winnipesaukee, which had a lot of double-digit snowfall reports there.”

Cornwell said the brunt of the storm settled over the New Hampshire and Massachusetts border, near Haverhill, Massachusetts, which reported 17 inches. As of about 5:30 p.m., the back edge of the band of heavier snow was entering Androscoggin County, giving the region a finale of snowfall for about two hours.

“It’s been a while since we had that kind of snow along the coastal region,” Cornwell said. “The mountains have seen snow, but this is kind of the first significant snowfall for the coast, all coinciding with a kind of higher tide cycle. So, we’ll probably be seeing some coastal flood issues as well.”

Alexander Augusto, left, his wife, Sonya, and daughter, Elicia, 10, make their way through Sunday’s snowstorm as they head to the store in downtown Lewiston. Daryn Slover/Sun Journal

As Sunday’s first snow of the year blanketed Maine, public safety agencies reported accidents and vehicles sliding off the road as snow fell throughout the day.

Shannon Moss, the public information officer for the Maine Department of Public Safety, said at least 13 crashes and six slide-offs were reported on Interstate 95, while at least seven crashes and 20 slide-offs were reported on the Maine Turnpike, which begins in Kittery and ends in Augusta.

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