Maine digs out from heavy snow Shoveling, plowing leave some folks weary of winter

A storm that dumped up to 19 inches of snow across Maine caused some fickle folks to show the first signs of frustration Tuesday after lamenting the lack of snow for the past few years.

Many folks woke up to find they barely could open their doors because of the snow. And getting the car out of the driveway meant hours of shoveling.

“Enough is enough!” said Christopher Piccione, a salesman who had to dig his van out to make the rounds Tuesday morning. “The first snow is romantic, and a white Christmas is nice. After that, phewww!”

The storm was the biggest to hit Portland since the “Storm of the Century” in March 1993, according to the National Weather Service. Back then, Portland had 18.6 inches, compared to 14 inches of fresh snow on the ground Tuesday. The latest storm brought 13 inches to Bangor.

Elsewhere, Bridgton recorded 19 inches and nearby Lovell had 17. Other totals: Hebron 16 inches, Rumford 15, Farmington 12 and Caribou 12.

It was enough snow to bring many businesses to a halt in a state accustomed to clearing away even the heaviest snowfall. Many people couldn’t get out of their driveways Tuesday morning, and most schools were closed.

The storm even delayed Tuesday morning’s scheduled departure of the 510-foot Navy destroyer Winston S. Churchill from Bath Iron Works. The ship is headed to Norfolk, Va., for commissioning next month.

The storm, punctuated by unusual winter thunder and lightning, spread snow from eastern Pennsylvania – where Allentown got 17 inches on Monday – to New England. Washington, N.H., had one of the biggest snow accumulations at 35 inches, but nearby Newport, N.H., topped everyone with 38.

“At one point it was a complete whiteout,” said police dispatcher Matthew Mielke in Easthampton, Mass. “The snow was coming sideways.”

In Springfield, Mass., Mayor Michael Albano declared a state of emergency and asked businesses to remain closed until 4 p.m. so crews could remove 22 inches of snow from the streets.

“This is biggest storm we’ve had since 1949, bigger than the Blizzard of 1978,” Albano said.