Ice storm expected to continue Monday

It’s not the big ice storm of 1998 that crippled much of the state, but the National Weather Service considers the storm that hit over the weekend “a long-duration event” that will cause icing into Monday.

Although this particular storm didn’t pack the same punch as ’98, Marine said, “any ice storm is bad,” and worthy of respect, said meteorologist Bob Marine at the NWS office in Gray.

Marine said the NWS anticipated issuing a winter storm watch, but this system led to an ice-storm warning on Saturday as temperatures started to climb.

“That’s the thing with ice,” Marine said. “Your first step on the sidewalk could be a disastrous one.”

Marine said he had no reports of damage attributed to ice or accumulation as of Sunday evening, but he warned about the potential for damaging ice Monday.

Throughout the area affected by the storm Central Maine Power was able to stay on top of outages throughout Sunday.

Maine power companies had about 19,000 customers affected by outages Sunday, The Associated Press reported.

At the storm’s peak, Sunday afternoon, CMP was reporting 3,802 customers without power. By evening, through fluctuating numbers CMP was reporting roughly half that.

Marine said Maine experienced weak storm waves through Sunday and Sunday evening and the drizzle and light rain were expected to yield to a steady freezing rain through Monday morning.

At Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, marketing director Ethan Austin said the resort wasn’t receiving much new precipitation as of early Sunday evening.

Austin said the ski area had received about two inches of snow overnight Saturday and a couple inches of sleet Sunday, with “very minimal icing.”

He said that the icing that the resort did get was just enough to shut down the SuperQuad chairlift and some natural-snow trails, mainly from warm temperatures on Saturday.

Although temperatures at the mountain remained in the 20s throughout the day Sunday, Saturday had temperatures in the range of 45 degrees; a stark contrast to the 27 degrees Austin said met him at his home in Kingfield.

Despite this “slight setback” as Austin called it, he said the season is off to a great start with 14 inches of new accumulation last weekend.

At Hannaford in Auburn, the manager on duty, Kevin Donovan of Lewiston, said, “We had a great day yesterday and a good day today.” He said anticipation of the ice storm caused a rush on Saturday.

Downplaying any lull in business due to slick driving, Donovan said, “Usually if you live in Maine, you know how to deal with it.”

dmcintire@sunjournal.com

: Charles Winslow clears ice off of his car on Ash Street in Lewiston Sunday. “I’m not really going anywhere, but just clearing it off before I have to,” said Winslow.

: Charles Winslow clears ice from his car on Ash Street in Lewiston on Sunday. “I’m not really going anywhere, but just clearing it off before I have to,” Winslow said.

: Cherries are iced over on the campus of Bates College in Lewiston Sunday afternoon after about a quarter inch coated the area from an overnight storm. Sidewalks were slick; however, most major roadways remained clear.

: Stephanie Szady, left, clears the sidewalk with her grandson, Jayden Szady, 10, right, and a neighbor’s granddaughter, Cheyenne Delsanto, 10, on Walnut Street in Lewiston Sunday. “It’s so bad out here,” Szady said.