A rare Blizzard Warning has been issued for Lincoln County as what may be a history-making storm begins to take shape south of our neighborhood. The National Weather Service warns “do not travel” between 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday, when the Blizzard Warning is in effect.
Two significant low fronts – one from the north and another from the south – are forecast to merge offshore of the Mid-Atlantic coast Thursday night and chug north, bringing significant snowfall and wind velocities to Lincoln County on Friday. The event is forecast to begin as light, gentle snowfall Friday morning and develop into a dangerous Nor’easter by Friday evening, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS is calling for a total accumulation of 18 to 24 inches of snowfall.
While many snow storm totals during a Lincoln County winter season fall far short of NWS forecasts, this storm may be an exception. As of Wednesday, the NWS warned that “confidence in achieving 6 inches or more of snowfall is high at this time.” This is an unusual warning from the NWS, as is a Blizzard Warning issued some 24 hours before the event. In the northeast most Blizzard Warnings (meaning that blizzard conditions are essentially imminent) are issued only hours before the event.
All of this means that Lincoln County needs to take this storm seriously… Motorists should consider staying off the road beginning Friday afternoon, and stay home until Saturday afternoon, according to NWS warnings. Residents should be prepared for power outages, according the NWS and Central Maine Power.
A blizzard is described by the NWS as “a winter storm which produces… sustained winds or frequent gusts 35 mph or greater… and/or falling or blowing snow reducing visibility frequently to less than one-quarter mile on a widespread or local basis.”
The NWS warns of “snow with strong winds and poor visibility” and “whiteout conditions” during the Blizzard Warning from 6 p.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Lincoln County News will continue to follow the progress of this event and post any additional information here as soon as it is obtained.
