The number of power outages in Lincoln County is on the rise again as yet another winter storm is due to arrive on Sunday night, bringing an additional 6 to 10 inches of snowfall to the area. In an ominous note, some forecasters are calling for more freezing rain than snowfall, especially in Lincoln County coastal areas.
Outages in Lincoln County were down to five on Saturday morning, until warmer temps started enough melting to cause falling ice and shifting tree branches. New outages had climbed to 139 as of the 3:49 p.m. report from Central Maine Power Company.
A Special Weather Statement issued by the National Weather Service warned of the possibility of falling ice as temperatures rose past the freeze mark for the first time since the recent ice storm, which was then followed by a storm bringing several inches of additional snowfall to the area.
Sunshine that began peeking through the clouds on Saturday afternoon combined with forecast 10 to 15 mph winds may cause melting and shifting of ice, according to the NWS. “Ice may fall from trees and elevated surfaces, posing a danger to anyone below,” the NWS bulletin warned.
The rise in outages came as yet another storm looms for Sunday night, with the possibility of additional snowfall in the forecast, according to a Winter Weather Advisory issued by the NWS at 3:12 p.m. on Saturday. Other forecasters, however, are calling for more ice and wintry mix than snowfall.
While the NWS is forecasting over 6 inches of snowfall with some rainfall near the coast beginning Sunday night and ending Monday morning; the forecasters at intellicast.com are calling for a wintry mix to begin late Sunday afternoon and then develop into freezing rain in the early morning hours of Monday.
Divergent forecasts such as those above are indicative of a highly unpredictable and unstable weather system… One that bears watching as it moves closer.
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.
