Inland regions get bulk of Sunday night snowfall

PORTLAND – A fast-moving storm that was expected to bring the heaviest snow accumulations of the season delivered its biggest punch to interior sections of Maine on Monday, but spared the coast from a major dig-out.

The much-ballyhooed storm dumped 8 inches of snow in Barnard, in Piscataquis County; 7 inches in Wilton; 6 inches in Madison; 5 inches in Millinocket, Bridgton and Belgrade; and 4 inches in Caribou, according to the National Weather Service.

In some coastal areas, the precipitation began as rain, holding down accumulations. Eastport reported 2 inches of snow and Portland received an inch.

Snow apparently was to blame for the collapse of a portable building used by construction workers in Buckfield. Several workers were hurt but the extent of their injuries was not known.

Most flights out of Portland International Jetport were operating on schedule, as were intercity buses and Amtrak trains out of Portland. There were some brief delays early in the day at Bangor International Airport, but all flights were on schedule by early evening.

A number of school systems canceled classes for the day or delayed the start of school Monday morning. But many schoolchildren who looked at the forecasts and counted on a three-day weekend were disappointed.

The storm brought fresh snow to the state’s ski areas. Sunday River measured an 8-inch snowfall at the base and 10 to 12 inches at the top of Aurora Peak, said spokeswoman Susan DuPlessis.

Meteorologists had been keeping an eye on this storm for the past week after December set records for warm temperatures in Portland and Caribou.

It was the warmest December on record and marked the first time since records were kept that the daily high topped the freezing mark every day in Portland.

Some lakes and ponds have yet to freeze and much of the state had been without snow this winter.