Another Winter Storm Hits Maine

The resounding reaction in central Maine to the weather reports that the region would be blanketed in another 8-10 inches of snow was, "More?" Already this winter, Maine has seen a winter like none in the recent past. Snowfall for the year approaches 100" in some areas already, and some of the bigger snowstorms Maine gets tend to fall in February and March.

Students in SAD 52, which covers the Turner, Leeds, and Greene area, have already had 11 snow days this school year, three of which occurred last week, one of which was February 13^th, due to the storm that was predicted. One school bus was in an accident with a minivan on the way to school one morning. No passengers in either vehicle were injured.

The snow that already covered the ground in the area was four feet deep. Snowbanks were higher, obscuring vision at intersections and in driveways. The paths to oil tanks resembled partial tunnels. Roads were more narrow, and the general consensus was, "Where are we going to put more of it?" All of the snowbanks were frozen in place by then, and people were losing what little driveway space some of them had left.

The budgets in Maine's towns for salt and sand and fuel for road crews has been strained already this year. While in most recent years there has not been snow in December, in 2007 there were two storms that each dumped over six inches of snow on the central region of the state. Many towns already had to order additional salt of the roadways.

So, Mainers braced themselves yet again to be snowed in. We readied the shovels, the windshield scrapers, the sand and salt, the candles, the flashlights, anything we might need in 10 additional inches of snow. And we waited. The weather reports showed an ominous cloud approaching from the southwest. As it overcame the area, snow started, but not with the vengeance Mainers had been told to expect. The snow began around midnight, as forecasts had predicted. By 4 AM, only about two inches had fallen. After about five inches, the freezing rain started. While the snow began losing ground, the concerns turned to an ice storm rivaling that of the Ice Storm of '98.

In January of 1998, Many Mainers awoke to the echoing cracks of breaking trees and a total lack of electricity. There was a coating of ice over everything, and while it was beautiful it took almost two weeks, sometimes more, for most households in central Maine to have electricity again. The trees in the area showed the damage for years. Even ten years past, the incident was strong enough in the memories of Mainers that they prepared; extra water, extra food, anything they might need to go without electricity for an extended period of time.

By mid afternoon on Wednesday, February 13^th, there was nothing anyone could do but wait to see what the results of the freezing rain would be. The rain fell with a vengeance and the temperature held steady just below freezing. And so we waited.