The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Lincoln County as the first winter storm of the season is bringing heavier snowfall and higher winds than originally forecast.
A much lower grade Winter Weather Advisory had been in effect since Wednesday.
The new Winter Storm Warning advises of heavy snowfall and mixed precipitation through 8 p.m. on Thursday.
The upgrade is due to the storm center tracking further east as it continues to move north-northeast south of Lincoln County. This track allows for significantly more snowfall to be generated while the storm moves over ocean waters. The original forecast called for a more westerly course for the storm.
Wind velocity is also forecast to increase steadily through the day as the back end of the storm passes offshore. Northeasterly winds are forecast to reach a sustained velocity of 10-20 mph, according to the NWS. Presently, the highest winds are expected just in time for the evening commute, according to the hourly forecast on intellicast.com.
High winds may cause snow covered power lines to break, or snow covered tree limbs to fall on power lines, making for the chance of outages as nightfall approaches. There were 23 homes in Lincoln County without power at 2:30 p.m., but that number has been reduced to only one at the time of this posting, according to Central Maine Power (CMP).
High winds will also affect visibility, which may be reduced to less than ¼ mile at times, according to the NWS.
Total snowfall accumulation is forecast to be 5 to 9 inches, according to the NWS forecast.
The good news is that the new storm track is forecast to keep temps below freezing for most Lincoln County areas during the storm’s duration, reducing the chance for icy and slushy roads and the possibility of re-freezing on the roads later in the night. Lincoln County peninsulas and areas east of Rt. 1 may not be included in this benefit.
Any change in the current track of the storm will affect the temperature forecast as well, and the possibility of freezing drizzle is still in the NWS warning.
The Lincoln County News will continue to follow this weather event and report any additional information here as soon as it becomes available.
