Snowstorm wallops Maine

RUMFORD — Nemo proved no problem for Rumford Public Works crews who began removing about 10 inches from the downtown as the much-ballyhooed snowstorm was winding down Saturday.

But areas closer to the brunt of the storm, including Lewiston, Portland and Gorham, were walloped with more than 2 feet, according to the National Weather Service in Gray.

Gorham recorded nearly 3 feet, at 35.5 inches, while the Portland International Jetport had 31.9 inches and Lewiston had 25.5, according to a weather service bulletin.

According to an Associated Press story, meteorologist Mike Kistner said the jetport’s total as of 1:30 p.m. blew away the old storm record of 27.1 inches from 1979.

Frenchboro, 8 miles offshore, recorded the highest winds at 89 mph, according to a weather service bulletin.

At 2 a.m. Saturday, Matinicus Rock, 20 miles offshore, had gusts to 77 mph. Bangor International Airport recorded winds at 75 mph.

The wind gusted to 53 mph at the Portland airport and 48 mph in Lewiston.

Inland, gusting winds continued to cause concern as whiteout conditions rendered driving treacherous.

Maine State Police spokesman Stephen McCausland said several vehicles, including many state police cruisers, were getting stuck in the deep snow.

By late afternoon, a state police dispatcher in Gray said there had been no serious accidents.

In Western Maine, traffic remained light, dispatchers in Franklin and Oxford counties said.

Other than the occasional Maine Department of Transportation plow and sanding trucks, few vehicles were seen on Route 2 between Wilton and Rumford during the morning and early afternoon. The road was plowed and sanded as light snow blew around in the wind.

Ski areas, including Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry, welcomed the snow. Team Snow reported Saturday morning that Sunday River got 14 inches and was expecting 4 to 6 inches more.

“Mother Nature may have taken a month off, but she returned and came back with a big ole ka-POW!” Team Snow stated in the daily mountain report. “Sunday is shaping up to be the best day of the weekend with a return to temperatures in the mid-20s, bluebird skies, and plenty of powder stashes left over.”

The sun peeked through the cloud bank at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and lit up Mexico and Rumford. Snowfall, which was falling lightly by then, ended 90 minutes later.

Central Maine Power had prepared early.

By Friday, CMP’s storm response team had pre-positioned crews and materials and had put all employees on notice “to expect a more challenging day” on Saturday, said John Carroll, CMP spokesman.

Anticipating wind gusts in the 50s and heavy snow, crews were scheduled to begin work at 5 a.m. Saturday. The power company had ready 68 additional line crews from Maine and Canada, plus 130 tree crews to complement CMP’s regular contingent of 90 line crews and support personnel, Carroll said.

Beginning around noon Friday, the storm caused 18,420 outages, with 11,467 on Saturday morning, according to a CMP report. The outages were reduced to 9,723 by 9 a.m. Saturday as high winds and blowing snow continued to rake Maine, Carroll said.

“Our crews are responding to outage reports to ensure any downed equipment is de-energized to protect the public,” he said.

At the time, Cumberland County had the most outages at 3,707, while Oxford County had 1,322.

“In some instances, they can make immediate repairs, but they also have to weigh the risks of working aloft, considering the high winds, slippery roads and poor visibility,” Carroll said.

By 5 p.m., 320 outages remained.

Carroll said that thanks to extensive preparations made as the storm approached New England, crews kept pace with repairs as outages were reported during the storm.

“CMP expects to restore power to all customers by later this evening, although the possibility of further scattered outages or inaccessible damage may prolong the recovery,” he said.

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