A major winter storm that's swept across the U.S. is now hitting Maine, dropping snow, rain and a mix of precipitation across the state.A winter storm warning is in effect for all of Maine, except along the immediate coast, where the precipitation is expected to be mostly rain, prompting the Weather Service to issue a flood advisory.
Farther inland, 4 to 8 inches of snow is expected to fall from about Sanford through Lewiston and Bangor.
Many schools are canceled, and as of about 11:30 a.m., more than 22,000 households and businesses were without power, according to Central Maine Power. About 500 outages were also reported in Emera Maine's territory.
Northeast winds will gust up to 45 miles an hour Tuesday morning, then shift to the south this afternoon, with gusts up to 25 miles per hour.
Here is a preliminary Snowfall map of our latest storm. pic.twitter.com/SzKri1gYQs
— NWS Gray (@NWSGray) November 27, 2018
Travel is treacherous, with at least two crashes reported on I-295 as of 7:00 a.m. Maine State Police say a person was killed in a car crash in Liberty involving two trucks. The victim has not yet been identified. The crash occurred at around 9:30 Tuesday morning in front of Lake St. George State Park, officials told The Associated Press.
Speed limits on the Maine Turnpike - from Exit 53 in Falmouth to the end of the Maine Turnpike at Mile 109 - were reduced to 45 miles an hour.
There's a sharp cutoff between rain and snow. Portland, Maine, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, got rain on the coast but up to a foot of snow fell in parts of northern Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
The snow will continue in far northern Maine, accumulating another 2 to 4 inches. In the south, the storm will wind down tonight and skies are expected to clear partially after midnight.
Forecasters say rain and snow showers will come to an end in the south with partial clearing after midnight. Winds are expected to ease overnight, and temperatures will remain in the 30s.
Updated Nov. 27, 2018 at 11:30 a.m.
