Maine Digs Out After Storm in Time to Plunge into Deep Freeze

Just hours after being pummeled by yet another massive snowstorm, Mainers face subzero weather as temperatures are predicted to drop as low as -20 Fahrenheit over the next three nights.

Friday's storm left thousands of school children sleeping snug in their beds as school officials announced school closures, but parents faced other concerns. Not only were many roads impassable, driveways quickly filled with nearly a foot and a half of snow. High winds created whiteout conditions in many areas, forcing Mainers to stay inside until the storm passed.

Hazen Jipson Jr, local resident and road commissioner for Webster Plantation, a nearby community, reports that the area received 9 inches of snowfall in 2 ½ hours--between the hours of 4:30 and 7:00 pm on Friday-making it difficult to keep roads clear. Total snowfall topped off at approximately 17 inches, according to Jipson. Jipson and many other road crews worked steadily for 12 hours to keep roads passable. According to Jipson, visibility was poor due to the heavy snowfall and wind, making the job more difficult than usual.

Armed with snow shovels and snow blowers, Mainers begin the task of digging out as dawn approached and the first light of day illuminated the difficult task ahead. Taking advantage of sunshine and what little warmth it offers, residents work quickly to clear driveways before the frigid weather approaches. Any snow that has not been removed before subzero temperatures arrive will freeze solid and likely remain in place until spring.

Although some Maine communities report a lack of room along the road for the growing snow banks, rural communities such as Springfield do not face the same battles. Snow banks may need to be "pushed back" by road crews as the winter progresses, but most areas have enough room to handle snowfall without difficulty.

According to the Weather Channel, the storm that swept Maine begin in Oklahoma on Thursday and spread rapidly up the eastern seaboard dropping snow from Oklahoma to Maine. An online friend who owns and operates Travels Oklahoma alerted me to the oncoming storm. She reported sneet pelleting her roof early Thursday morning and that she had just seen reports of a massive storm predicted to travel rapidly up the east coast. Of course, I assured her that Mainers were ready to handle any snow Mother Nature could throw at us-little did I know that Mother Nature would get her dander up and test my theory.