Winter Storm — Coastal York, Maine

2023-01-19 to 2023-01-20 · Coastal York, Maine

Event narrative

Snow overspread southwest Maine during the evening on the 19th. After midnight snow became moderate to heavy at times. While snowfall rates tapered off by sunrise on the 20th, snow lingered for much of the day as an inverted trough remained draped across southern New Hampshire. Once the upper low moved east of the area snow came to an end during the evening hours on the 20th. Snowfall totals ranged from 4 inches along the beaches to 8 inches west of I-95.

Wider weather episode

A cold front crossed the region early on the 19th, providing some fresh cold air despite a relatively mild pattern. High pressure building out of Ontario helped to dam the cold air in place as a warm front approached from the southwest in the evening. Light precipitation moved into the area as a mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain initially before transitioning to all snow. Primary low pressure near Lake Erie occluded and a secondary low center developed near Nantucket early on the 20th. It was during this time that snowfall was the heaviest. Snow slowly tapered off through the afternoon and evening on the 20th, as an inverted trough remained draped across southwestern Maine during the day.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1068895. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.