Winter is officially back on track after last week’s unseasonable warmth. A winter storm is going to dump up to a foot of snow over most Maine starting Tuesday night.
The National Weather Service has placed the entire state under a winter storm warning.
The snow is expected to start flying about 9 p.m. over Greater Bangor, Mount Desert Island and Greenville, according to the weather service office in Caribou. Further along the Down East coast to Machias and Eastport snowfall will begin about 10 p.m., and central and northern Penobscot can expect to see the flakes about the same time. Up in The County, the snowfall won’t start until 1 to 2 a.m., according to the weather service.
Snowfall will commence over southern Maine Tuesday evening. It will last into Wednesday.
Snow will overspread the area from southwest to northeast tonight and continue through the day on Wednesday. The heaviest snow will be during the morning. Snow will mix with sleet and freezing rain Downeast, and turn to plain rain along the coast. #mewx. pic.twitter.com/SePVrNcw5r
— NWS Caribou (@NWSCaribou) February 12, 2019
The latest forecast shows an estimated 10 inches of snow coming to Greater Bangor, with lighter accumulation expected along the Down East coast from Bar Harbor to Eastport, where 8 inches of snow is anticipated, according to the weather service.
Accumulation will get heavier to the north, with 12 inches expected in Lincoln, 14 inches in Greenville and Millinocket, and 12 to 13 inches falling from Houlton to Caribou, according to the weather service. The accumulation starts to fall off again closer toward the northern border with Canada, where just under a foot is expected.
Snow will overspread the area from southwest to northeast tonight and continue through the day on Wednesday. The heaviest snow will be during the morning. Snow will mix with sleet and freezing rain Downeast, and turn to plain rain along the coast. #mewx. pic.twitter.com/SePVrNcw5r
— NWS Caribou (@NWSCaribou) February 12, 2019
Meanwhile, the weather service office in Gray is forecasting 8 to 12 inches to fall over much of the southern part of the state from Sanford in York County to Belfast in Waldo County. Inland toward Rangeley and Jackman the weather service is also predicting about 8 to 12 inches of snow to accumulate.
Lighter amounts of snow are possible along the immediate coast from Portland to Rockland, where 6 to 8 inches is in the forecast.
6 or more inches of snow accumulation looking more likely for Tuesday into Wednesday. Snow may change to rain or mixed precipitation along the coast. A Winter Storm Watch remains in effect for Tuesday through Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/mfYEr4PmHS
— NWS Gray (@NWSGray) February 11, 2019
Along the coast snow may change over to rain or mixed precipitation early Wednesday morning, and a wintry mix on the coast will end by Wednesday afternoon, according to CBS affiliate WGME.
The storm will bring high winds, which will gust up to 35 to 45 mph, according to WGME. Those winds will be strongest between midnight and 7 a.m. Wednesday. Once the storm moves out, the wind will stick around, with sustained westerly winds of 20 to 30 mph on Thursday, WGME reports.
Two storms to feature this week, one later today and Wednesday, bringing mostly snow to the mountains and snow and sleet farther south. Storm two, late in the week, moving by considerably farther to the west, looking like rain in the south, and a mixed bag to the north. pic.twitter.com/nXZ5HXAQi7
— NWS Gray (@NWSGray) February 12, 2019
This will be the first of two storms to hit the state this week. Another storm will bring rain to the south and more snow to the north on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.