Just as one storm subsides, another is set to hit Maine starting Tuesday night.
This storm has prompted state officials and forecasters to warn Mainers of the potential for widespread power outages not unlike what happened during a wind storm on Dec. 18.
The National Weather Service has forecasted sustained southwest winds of 30 to 40 mph, with gusts reaching as high as 60 to 70 mph, late Tuesday night into Wednesday afternoon.
Those winds coupled with heavy rain on top of melting snow could blow down trees and powerlines.
“Widespread power outages are possible. Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” the weather service warned in a Monday morning advisory.
A flood watch has been issued for York and Cumberland counties.
While mixed precipitation is expected to give way to rain Wednesday morning, the central highlands, mountains and far northern Maine could see up to 5 to 9 inches of snow during this storm, according to the weather service.
This storm follows another on Sunday that dumped up to a foot and a half of snow over parts of southern Maine and more modest amounts to points farther north.
The Tuesday-Wednesday storm has prompted concerns about a repeat of the Dec. 18 storm that left more than 420,000 Mainers without power and four dead. While this storm isn’t quite as powerful as the Dec. 18 storm, “it’s not far off either,” the weather service office in Caribou said in a social media post, noting that highest gusts will be about 5 to 10 mph lighter.
Maine Emergency Management Agency Director Pete Rogers last week urged Mainers to prepare for this storm and follow the forecasts.
Once this storm subsides, Mainers will have a couple days before another storm brings high winds and heavy rain over the weekend.
