CARIBOU, Maine — Aroostook County residents should brace for more unseasonable weather Saturday, as a hazardous weather outlook has been posted for much of the state.
Greg Cornwell, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Caribou, said Friday that the bulletin issued by the weather center is due to a complex weather system that is expected to bring a mix of rain, sleet, snow and freezing rain to the region Saturday and Saturday night. The source of rainfall will be the remnants of moisture from Hurricane Willa.
This outlook is for Down East, eastern Maine, central Maine and northern Maine.
“It is sort of like a warm nor’easter,” he explained. “That is because we are not predicted to get much snow out of it, but there is the potential for significant rain and ice, as well as high winds.”
He said that the best chances of accumulating snow or a more prolonged period of sleet and freezing rain would be across northern Maine.
“At this point, one of the biggest impacts will be the winds,” he said. “They are predicted to be strong and gusty, which could cause downed trees and power lines, along with power outages.”
Forecasters also warned that icy conditions could make driving hazardous, especially for those motorists who have not yet installed their snow tires.
October has been colder than normal, according to the weather service, especially in the northern part of the state. This is in contrast to the rest of New England, where temperatures for the month have been a bit above average.
Cornwell said there is hope for weather conditions improving after the weekend, however.
“We will see a warm-up in temperatures by about ten degrees early next week” he said.
