Mainers were blasted by high winds and heavy snow as blizzard Juno barreled into the state Tuesday, creating whiteout conditions and making travel dangerous.

There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries because of the storm and temperatures that registered around the 10-degree mark, officials said.

As of 9 p.m. Central Maine Power reported 1,526 customers were without power, 1,375 of them in Waldo County and 134 in York County.

Snowfall totals ranged from 27 inches in Lewiston to 2 inches in Eustis in northern Franklin County, according to the National Weather Service report at 6 p.m. Tuesday. Turner and Gray had 22 inches, Portland Jetport 21.6, Bridgton 16.8, Hebron 14.5, New Sharon 14 and Farmington 9, the NWS report said.

Amounts varied depending on the distance from the the low pressure center that raced up the East Coast into the Gulf of Maine.

The director of the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport, Rick Lanman, reported wind speeds averaged 42 mph with higher gusts. He said the airport was technically open for business, but no flights were expected Tuesday and only maintenance staff were called in to work.

Advertisement

Schools, colleges, businesses and government offices closed for the day or closed early to allow people to get to their homes before the storm intensified in the afternoon.

Such was the case at Oxford Casino on Route 26 in Oxford. The gambling center shut its doors at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday so staff and patrons could return home before dark. The casino usually operates 24/7 and is expected to reopen 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, General Manager Jack Sours said.

Ski areas benefited from the storm, although inland areas got less than the lion’s share of snow.

Sunday River in Newry welcomed Juno with open arms.

“We’re busier than we anticipated,” spokeswoman Sarah Devlin said by email early Tuesday afternoon. “The snow hit us early this morning and we’re just getting the thick band that’s crawling north.”

She said that by noon the resort had close to 5 inches and was running all scheduled lifts. “It’s coming down hard.”

Advertisement

Devlin said she suspects that many people drove to Sunday River on Monday to ski and snowboard.

“The trails are full of people hooting and hollering,” she said.

Thanks to the storm, Devlin said the resort opened its new glade, YetiVille, for the first time. Additionally, North Woods just opened for the first time this season.

“We’ll be really set up after this blizzard to open most, if not all, our terrain,” she said.

Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley reported high winds but remained open Tuesday, Saddleback in Rangeley closed due to the strong winds but plans to reopen Wednesday. Auburn’s Lost Valley was closed.

Most people heeded police warnings and stayed indoors.

Advertisement

In Auburn, a parking ban remains in effect until 3 p.m. Wednesday for cleanup; Lewiston’s will wrap up at noon.

Throughout the day, the Lewiston Police Department posted videos on Facebook showing people the potentially dangerous driving conditions and officers helping stranded motorists.

“Many of the side streets are buried in snow and not passable without a four wheel drive vehicle,” an LPD post warned. “Please stay off the roads unless you absolutely have to go out.”

“On a positive note, we have witnessed Mainers helping Mainers throughout the day.” The statement was followed by a video showing Sgt. Robert Ullrich and his son Kyle helping a stuck motorist.

Lt. Laurie Woodhead of the Auburn Police Department urged motorists Tuesday night to be cautious.

“The highway department is doing the best job they can,” she said. “Main roads are passable but treacherous, and visibility is extremely low due to the blowing wind and snow — people need to stay home.”

Advertisement

Schools in the city will be closed Wednesday, officials said.

Central Maine was weathering the storm in good order, Joanne Potvin, the director of Androscoggin County’s Emergency Management Agency, said.

“It’s a snowstorm in Maine. Actually we are not doing too, too bad,” she said.

Other than a scattering of power outages Potvin said local Emergency Management Agency directors were reporting no major problems.

She said none of the emergency shelters or warming centers had been opened because there was no demand.

“People are staying put, they are heeding the advice of public safety, and we’ve had no requests for assistance from any of my EMA directors or public safety throughout the county,” she said.

Advertisement

Dixfield police Chief Richard Pickett said he and his officers traveled from East Dixfield to Canton Point Road early Tuesday and found only one or two cars on the road.

“For this early in the morning, that’s unheard of, so it’s nice to see that people are listening to our advice,” Pickett said. “I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that everything has closed. People don’t have a reason to go outside right now, so they’re staying put.”

At Hannaford supermarket in Oxford, employees reported a dozen or so people had braved the storm to get to the store.

“We don’t want people out on the road right now, but we’re open in case of an emergency,” said Hannaford manager Mike Labbe, who drove from Lewiston at 6:30 Tuesday morning.

Oxford Walmart Manager Melanie Wright said there were a few customers at Tuesday morning.

“It’s a normal day in the neighborhood, just a whiteout,” she said.

Retail giant L.L. Bean in Freeport remained open because, as they pointed out, there are no locks on their doors.

filed under: