Blizzard in Coastal Cumberland, Maine

Accumulating snow did not begin until around 7 am on the 23rd, but winds had already become gusty around midnight. As a result visibility was quickly reduced to 1/2 mile or less shortly after the snow started falling. During the mid morning into the early afternoon the Portland International Jetport observed blizzard conditions for nearly 5 straight hours. A peak wind gust of 56 mph was observed at 1156 am. The heavy snow never quite reached the Casco Bay area, and snowfall totals ranged from 3 to 6 inches.

Low pressure began to develop over the Southeast on the morning of the 22nd. By the evening it had moved to a position off the Carolinas and was deepening rapidly. Between 7 pm on the 22nd and 7 am on the 23rd, central pressure in the storm dropped from 991 mb to 966 mb. The intense low pressure combined with high pressure around 1045 mb building into Quebec to produce a strong pressure gradient across the region. The result was strong wind gusts through much of the day on the 23rd. While the heaviest snowfall remained largely over southern New England, the edge of the moderate snow did move into southwestern Maine. The combination of the two produced blizzard conditions and near-zero visibility at times. While winds continued to gust into the evening, snowfall tapered off in the late afternoon hours on the 23rd. Key Messages: blizzard conditions, strong wind gusts, dangerous travel, traffic accidents.