A winter storm that battered the Northeast this week brought nearly an entire month’s worth of snow to one Maine town over the first two days of the month.
National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists issued widespread winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions because of the storm, which prompted hundreds of school closings and delays across the region on Tuesday morning. Heavy snow exceeded a foot in some locations, and in Porter, Maine, 11 inches of snow was measured.
AccuWeather meteorologist Alyssa Glenny told Newsweek that on average, Porter sees 11.6 inches of snow throughout December, so it came within a half-foot of hitting amounts usually seen for the entire month. In a year, Porter sees more than 65 inches of snow.
On Wednesday, the NWS office in Gray, Maine, which issues forecasts for the Porter area, shared a snowfall total map showing where the heaviest snow fell during the storm. According to the map, the heaviest amounts were detected in Central Maine, as well as close to the New Hampshire border, where Porter is located. Widespread amounts of 3 to 6 inches hit nearly the entire NWS Gray forecast region.
More snow is on the way for the Northeast, meteorologists warned. AccuWeather reported that snow squalls are possible for New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine beginning Wednesday night. Northwestern New York is under a winter weather advisory for lake-effect snow expected to arrive on Thursday.
Further south, states will get hit again as well. AccuWeather forecasted that the bulk of the incoming snow would fall between Thursday night and Friday and impact a smaller area than the storm earlier in the week, encompassing eastern Kentucky east through Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Lesser snowfall totals are expected than the storm that hit earlier in the week, with 1 to 2 inches likely.
Roads could be slick, AccuWeather warned, and visibility may be reduced.
The incoming storm will accompany a blast of Arctic air that will plunge temperatures across the Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast.
“The blast of Arctic air will bring snow showers and snow squalls to parts of the Great Lakes and Northeast,” AccuWeather meteorologist Alex Duffus said in a report. “Roads can be coated in snow, and visibility can be drastically reduced in a matter of seconds, creating slippery and dangerous driving conditions. Sidewalks and parking lots could be very slick.”
