Forecast: Winter vacation likely to live up to its name

Northern New Englanders prepared for another tangle with winter weather as forecasters said several more inches of powder would hit the region today, just as many residents plan for vacations coinciding with school holidays.

The National Weather Service said snow would start on the morning of the Presidents Day holiday and persist all day in many areas, with accumulations around 6 inches overall.

It was hard to predict Sunday how much snow would fall where because the final track of the storm remained unclear.

The snow was not expected to reach far northern parts of Maine until this evening.

The third major snowstorm in the region since late January rode in on the tail of a blustery cold snap in which temperatures in some areas dropped to the low single numbers and gusting winds made it feel that cold in other spots.

Forecasters said temperatures would ease up some through the week, but it would start out with temperatures down to the 5-10 degree range in much of Maine when people wake up this morning.

Between the wintry weather and school vacations, it seemed like a perfect time for many people to head for warmer climates – and many did.

At Portland International Jetport in Maine, more than 2,000 passengers were booked to fly out during the weekend, with most planes leaving the state for warmer climates fully booked.

Ski areas, relieved to see winter had finally arrived, were glad to entertain those willing to stay and test out the new covering of powder on the mountains.

Moderate snowfall and seasonable weather predicted for the remainder of the week were blessings for ski areas, which count Presidents Day weekend as one of the busiest times of the season.

“We had later bookings than usual,” said Susan DuPlessis, spokeswoman for Sunday River ski area in Newry, Maine. “I think people were waiting to see how the weather would play out.”

Business was strong Sunday at Cannon Mountain in Franconia, N.H., where 3,500 skiers were on the slopes, about 1,000 people shy of the maximum.

“It’s been a great weekend, and I’m forecasting the rest of the week is going to be busy,” said Bill Roy, manager at Cannon. “Conditions right now are excellent.”