Weather Forecast

Ready for more snow?

Thu, 01/29/2015 - 8:30am

If there's one thing the Midcoast isn't currently lacking, it's winter weather.

And for those who like winter, there's more coming, National Weather Service Meteorologist Tom Hawley said Wednesday.

While Bath (25 inches during the Tuesday, Jan. 27 snowstorm), Westport Island (20 inches), Boothbay (14 inches) and Newcastle (one foot) had significant snowfall, that total should be pushed upwards by the end of the work week, Hawley said.

On Tuesday, the region was struck with howling, near-hurricane-force winds that whipped the snow around. According to the National Weather Service, Lewiston was the top landing spot for snow, when more than 27 inches fell. In the Midcoast region, Bath's 25 inches were the highest recorded.

“Looks like the Midcoast is going to hit the jackpot,” he said. “The storm watch is in effect. It looks like Boothbay's going to have it start snowing at around 8 a.m. (Friday), then it should continue through the day, getting heavier as it gets late.

“It shouldn't end until Saturday; and when it's all said and done, (the Midcoast region) could be looking at six or more inches of snow.”

Hawley said that while February is typically the snowiest month in Maine, it isn't unusual to have January feature multiple big storms. What happened with the latest batch of storms has been a funnel of cold Canadian air that has streaked across the region, via a trough to the east and a ridge to the west.

That meant that even though Wednesday, Jan. 28 was sunny, and Thursday is expected to again be sunny, the temperatures shouldn’t stray too far above freezing, while allowing more snow to back up into the region, Hawley said.

The region is expected to have temperatures remaining near-freezing temperatures for the week.

If the projected half-foot isn't enough for powder enthusiasts, then the storm projected to hit Maine on Monday, Feb. 2 could provide even more accumulation, Hawley said.

“We're in quite a pattern right now,” Hawley said.