CARRABASSETT VALLEY — Snow coated the tops of some mountains in Maine, including Sugarloaf and Bigelow early Monday. The peak of Mt. Washington in New Hampshire had received nearly 4 inches as of 2 a.m.

Sugarloaf communications Director Ethan Austin estimated that 1 to 2 inches fell on the peaks of the mountain and stopped about halfway down. It wasn’t much but the sun shining made the snow bright against the colors of the fall foliage, he said.

“The first snow of the season is always exciting, especially when it is this early,” Austin said. “We are always kind of looking for it. Some people even place wagers” on when the first snow falls.

Sugarloaf is scheduled to open Nov. 16, if weather permits.

Betty Wing of Eustis, a National Weather Service observer, said she could see snow on the peak of Bigelow Mountain.

“It shows up pretty white this morning,” she said.

Wing said she wasn’t surprised to see the snow. She had expected to see some after being forewarned by the National Weather Service in Gray.

“They told me to be on the lookout,” she said.

It was 30 degrees in Eustis on Monday morning, she said.

“I hate to see it come this early but I suppose we have to get it,” she said.

Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, the highest peak in northeastern United States, received 3.6 inches of snow by 2 a.m. and it was still snowing lightly after that, the Mt. Washington Observatory website said.

“As a result, the higher summits are now coated in a decent layer of snow and ice, which did not budge much during the overnight as winds remained fairly light,” the website said.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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