Sleet — Coastal Washington, Maine

2025-02-16 to 2025-02-17 · Coastal Washington, Maine

Event narrative

Storm total snow accumulations range from 1 to 3 inches...along with 1 to 2 inches of sleet.

Wider weather episode

Primary low pressure system tracked toward western New England during the 16th, with a secondary low starting to develop across the Gulf of Maine later that evening. Favorable upper level dynamics supported intensification of the secondary low during the 16th. The intensifying secondary low crossed Downeast areas through the night of the 16th into the 17th, while occluding and vertically stacking beneath the supporting upper low. The vertically stacked/occluded system remained across the Gulf of Saint Lawrence during the 17th...with the deformation zone extending back across northern Maine. Snow expanded northward across the region through the morning into the early afternoon hours of the 16th. Snow...heavy at times...persisted across northern areas through the overnight hours of the 16th into the morning of the 17th. Favorable dynamics supported the development of meso-scale snow bands from the afternoon of the 16th into the early morning hours of the 17th across northern Maine, which caused snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour in localized areas. Snow ended across much of the region during the early morning hours of the 17th. However...wrap-around moisture within the deformation zone kept lighter snow and snow showers across northern Maine into the afternoon. Lower temperatures in the north kept precipitation in the form of snow. Warmer air was advected in from the south across Downeast areas which caused snow to transition to a wintry mix.

Warning criteria snow and sleet accumulations occurred through the afternoon and evening hours of the 16th. Storm total snow accumulations across northern Aroostook, northern Somerset, and northern/central Piscataquis counties generally ranged from 10 to 14 inches. Across central and interior Downeast portions of the region snow totals generally ranged from 5 to 8 inches, along with up to 0.5 to 1.0 inch of sleet. Along the Downeast coast, snow totals ranged from 4 to 6 inches across Hancock county, and to 1 to 3 inches across Washington county. Sleet accumulations along the Downeast coast ranged from 1 to 2 inches, along with a tenth to three tenths of an inch of ice.

A tightening pressure gradient between the Gulf of Saint Lawrence low and high pressure to the west produced gusty winds into the 17th with gusts of 30 to 40 mph. These winds, along with recent snowfall in the region, led to extensive blowing snow across portions of northern Maine during the 17th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1236052. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.