Heavy snowfall is marking the first official day of winter in Lincoln County as a Nor’easter storm moved into the area for an overnight visit.
At 12:47 p.m. the National Weather Service (NWS) reported that snowfall totals in Bristol were already at the 4-inch mark – well on the way to a total of up to 20 inches now forecast by the NWS in their latest advisory. The Bristol total was the highest in the state at the time of the NWS report.
The intensity of the storm is forecast to increase after dark, with the possibility of snowfall rates exceeding 1-inch per hour, according to forecasters.
Lincoln County is under a Winter Storm Warning until 7 a.m. on Mon., according to the NWS.
The NWS warning calls for heavy snow with a total ranging between 8-20 inches of snow accumulation.
High winds will be a significant factor during the snow, whipping up fresh fallen snow to reduce visibility and endangering power lines and tree limbs. During the day on Sun. winds are forecast for a sustained velocity of 15-25 mph from the east-northeast. After nightfall, the winds are forecast to increase to 20-30 mph sustained with gusts of 40 mph from the north-northwest. By Mon. morning, the wind direction is forecast to change to west-northwest as the storm center passes offshore, maintaining a sustained velocity of 20-30 mph with gusts of 40 mph, according to the NWS.
Some snowfall may continue through Mon., as well as blowing snow from the high winds, according to forecasts.
There is also a danger of coastal flooding and high wave splash over during the high tide this evening, according to the NWS. Storm generated coastal sea waves near Lincoln County peninsulas are forecast to reach 20 feet in height. A storm surge forecast at up to 2.5 feet could cause some minor coastal flooding during the high tide of 8.6 feet forecast for 7:02 p.m. in Wiscasset. (Tidal information courtesy of maineharbors.com.)
The NWS recommends that any travel during the snow storm should be restricted to emergencies, and that motorists venturing into the weather should carry an emergency supply of blankets, water, food and a flashlight. Motorists should ensure they have more than enough gasoline in the tank for their journey, and cell phone users should check to ensure that their phone is fully charged before traveling.
So far, Lincoln County motorists seem to have been heeding the advice to stay off the roads, with only scattered minor traffic accidents being reported at the time of this posting.
There have been a number of Lincoln County cancellations reported on Sun. as a result of the storm. The Boothbay Region YMCA is closed; the Tapestry Singers concert at the 2nd Congregational Church in Newcastle is cancelled, the evening service at the Boothbay Region Community Fellowship is cancelled; the Knights of Columbus brunch at St. Patrick’s Church in Newcastle was cancelled; the evening advent lesson and caroling rehearsal at St. Philip’s Church in Wiscasset; and the Holiday Open House at the Union Hall in Whitefield is cancelled.
A parking ban is in effect in Boothbay Harbor until Mon. at 8 a.m., and parking in-town Damariscotta is restricted to the emergency snow parking area in the municipal parking lot.
For a full list of cancellations and closures on Mon. morning, just go the home page of The Lincoln County News website, lincolncountynewsonline.com, and click on the link provided by special arrangement with WCSH channel 6.
The storm is courtesy of two low fronts that tracked in from the west, one with plenty of moisture from the south and the other with plenty of cold air from the north. The southern low arrived last night – just in time to set up off the mid-Atlantic coast and begin tracking north.
The two fronts are now working together to create one humdinger of a weather system – with one low front over the Great Lakes contributing chill Arctic air and another low front near the Gulf of Maine feeding off a line of moisture that stretches all the way down the Atlantic, over the north Florida Peninsula, and into the Gulf of Mexico.
NWS issued a notably early Winter Weather Advisory on Fri. regarding this storm. The Winter Weather Advisory was later upgraded Fri. night at 8:22 p.m. to a Winter Storm Watch, and then further upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning on Sat. at 3:28 p.m.
A Winter Storm Warning means that severe winter weather conditions are imminent. The Winter Storm Warning began Sun. at 1 p.m. is in effect through Mon. at 7 a.m., according to the NWS.
The Lincoln County News website will continue to monitor the progress of these storms and post any additional information here as soon as it becomes available.
