Maine snowstorm leaves 183,000 without power
(CNN) — A little over 183,000 people are still without power in Maine Friday after a spring snowstorm barreled through the state with heavy, wet snow that brought down trees and power lines.
Some areas north of Portland were hit with more than a foot of snow, and in Franklin County as much as 20 inches was reported, according to the National Weather Service.
Crews with Central Maine Power continue to clear debris and downed wires, according to a release from the company. Just over 183,000 CMP customers are still without power as of 5 p.m. Friday, the utility company said in a release.
“We have worked in coordination with the Maine Emergency Management Agency today to ensure all of the state’s hospitals and critical medical facilities have power and emergency vehicle access,” said Doug Herling, CMP president and CEO. “We expect additional contractor crews to start with us first thing in the morning to make significant progress on restoration.”
CMP advised customers that they should plan to be without power, perhaps for a couple of days given the extent of the outages.
A winter storm warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Friday for northern Maine, according to the weather service in Caribou.
“Travel could be very difficult,” the weather service said. “Patchy blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility and cause localized hazardous travel.”
The power outages in some areas appear “to be the most since the wind storm of Oct 2017,” the National Weather Service in Caribou said.
Winds will “bring 20-30 degree cooler air to the region,” the National Weather Service said, but the snow “will taper off overnight into Saturday across northern New England (especially Maine) after some significant accumulations.”
That’s as the Southeast braces for severe weather, including tornadoes, on Easter Sunday.
“Easter Sunday could be a very dangerous day in the Southeast,” CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said. “All of the ingredients for severe weather are likely coming together. You have strong low pressure, strong wind shear, ample Gulf of Mexico moisture, that could lead to multiple tornadoes across the Southeast.”