CARIBOU, Maine — Just as the snow had begun melting in most parts of Aroostook County, a winter storm is expected to bring up to a foot of snow to some parts of the region.
Victor Nouhan, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Caribou, said Tuesday morning that a winter storm watch is in effect for all of The County. He said that the watch is in effect from Wednesday night into Thursday.
Most residents should expect to see 8 to 12 inches of new snowfall, according to Nouhan.
All of western, southern, central and midcoast Maine, including Somerset, Waldo and Knox counties, however, are in the more severe NWS winter storm warning area.
Western parts of the state could get nearly 20 inches of snow, starting late Wednesday and continuing into Thursday, as a cold front developing in the mid-Atlantic states overtakes a warm front and tracks eastward, according to forecasters Tuesday morning. This will quickly transition into a nor’easter which will bring significant snowfall to the northeast and portions of the mid-Atlantic states. The storm will move into the Gulf of Maine and slowly cross through the area on Thursday.
The snowfall is expected to make travel conditions difficult Thursday morning.
“Be prepared for snow-covered and slippery roads, and significant reductions in visibility at times,” NWS forecasters warned. “If you must travel, keep an extra flashlight, food and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency.”
The forecasts were issued just as several Aroostook County residents said they were looking forward to the possibility of a glimpse of spring.
Kylie Anderson of Houlton said Tuesday that she was just about to give her 11-year-old daughter permission to stop wearing her snow pants to school each day when she heard about the impending storm.
“It is like, ‘Oh man, not again,’” she said. “I know that March does come in like a lion, but this is getting old. I don’t think that I am alone in that belief.”
Melissa Landry, another Houlton resident, agreed.
“At this point, I am just really hoping that we don’t get the amount of snow that is predicted,” she said. “But this happens every year. Just when you think there is light at the end of the tunnel, more snow comes.”
BDN writer Bill Trotter contributed to this report.
