Winter Storm — Southern Oxford, Maine

2020-12-05 to 2020-12-06 · Southern Oxford, Maine

Event narrative

Snow moved into the area early afternoon on the 5th. Snow became moderate to to heavy through the late evening under the strongest banded precipitation. Warmer temperatures in the lower elevations resulted in less snow than the higher elevations. Snow totals ranged from 4 to as much as 12 inches in the higher terrain. The wet nature of the snow also allowed it to cling to trees and powerlines. The resulting downed limbs and powerlines led to widespread power outages.

Wider weather episode

An upper low ejecting out of the Rockies ultimately phased with a northern stream shortwave trough leading to cyclogenesis off the East Coast on the 5th. Low pressure formed over the southern Appalachians and moved northeast towards Nantucket by the evening of the 5th. The storm tracked into the Gulf of Maine and eventually began weakening in the Bay of Fundy early on the 6th. While the radar presentation looked like a classic northern New England snow storm, the antecedent air mass was marginal for snow and precipitation type became very elevation or rate dependent. Most notably the snow that did fall was wet and sticky. The wet snow bonded to the trees which led to downed tree limbs and widespread power outages.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 926914. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.