A light round of snow hitting Maine on Tuesday night will be just a preview for the real show later this week.
The highs will reach into the 30s across Maine, with mostly cloudy skies.
The snow is expected to move in just after sunset, but will quickly weaken. By the time it wraps up, most of Maine will see accumulation of 2 inches or fewer.
Wednesday will start out sunny and calm, with highs rising into the low 40s. But clouds will start increasing by the afternoon as our next round of snow approaches by late Wednesday night.
That snow will quickly become heavy in central and southern Maine, which will likely make for a tough Thursday morning commute. Moderate to heavy snow will continue through the early afternoon, with light snow for the rest of Thursday.
Then a second wave will move through Thursday night, with light to moderate snow falling until about sunrise Friday.
The accumulation will be highest in southern Maine, where 8 to 12 inches are expected from central York County to Greater Augusta and the midcoast. Southern York County and points north of Augusta are expected to see 5 to 9 inches by the time the snow stops flying.
Northern Maine will see the lowest snow accumulation, which will peak around the Thursday morning commute.
Some places, particularly southern York County, may see snow mixing with sleet. It’s uncertain how far north that precipitation mix will extend, which could reduce overall snow totals.
The highs on Thursday are expected to range from the teens to low 20s, while they may rise higher in the 20s on Friday, though gusty winds will make it feel much colder. By Friday night, the temperatures will fall below zero across much of the state.
Saturday also will be quite cold, with highs peaking in the teens and wind chills below zero. Skies will be partly cloudy skies.
Another round of snow will arrive Sunday, and the pattern remains cold and snowy heading into next week.
