Maine has seen up to nine inches of snow so far from Winter Storm Grayson. The “bomb cyclone” winter storm rapidly intensified in a low pressure situation, bringing winds similar to a Category 1 hurricane in some regions, along with coastal flooding, power outages, and whiteout conditions. This morning, snow was falling at the rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour at the JFK Airport with up to 11 inches already recording in Long Island, and up to 3 inches per hour in Rhode Island. Some parts of Massachusetts already saw up to 10 inches of snow. But how much snow exactly has fallen so far in the Maine area? Here’s what we know.
As of the time of publication, the NOAA had not released snow fall totals for Thursday, January 4, 2018 in Maine. But other sources have been reporting totals of their own. According to Ted McInerney, a meteorologist in Maine, the following totals have been reported so far, as of 2 p.m. Eastern:
- Hollis: 9 inches
- Mechanic Falls: 5.7 inches
- Shapleigh: 7.6 inches
- Windham: 4.5 inches
The storm isn’t over yet in Maine:
The storm has already claimed two lives, after two people in North Carolina died when their car slid off a road because of icy conditions and landed in a creek, Weather.com reported. And in Virginia, 44,000 people were left without power on Thursday morning because of the storm. Damaging wind of more than 70 mph is possible along eastern Massachusetts by Thursday afternoon and could cause more power outages. Gust of up to 50 mph could happen in other parts of New England today.
The heaviest snow is expected along eastern New England and eastern Long Island, accumulating to a foot or more. Snow along the I-95 corridor south of Philadelphia should end by midday. Snow should end in the New York Tri-state area by late this afternoon or early evening, according to Weather.com. Snow will be intensifying in New England during the day, especially the eastern part of New England, and taper off tonight. Winds will also intensify and become “potentially damaging” in eastern New England by this afternoon.
According to the NOAA at 9 a.m. Eastern: “An explosively deepening low pressure system with an estimated central pressure of 952 MB or 28.11 inches was located about 230 miles east of the Delmarva Peninsula. As the storm continued to move rapidly to the Northeast while Arctic air remained in place across the entire U.S….Moderate to heavy snow along with winds gusting over 50 mph continued to impact the mid-Atlantic and New England costal areas. A coastal front helped focus the heaviest snow band right along the immediate coast…”
Here are some more photos and stories from residents in the area: