Portland, Maine – Stay off the roads Monday as whiteout conditions and wind gusts up to 50 mph shut down travel from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. across coastal Maine and parts of southern New Hampshire.
According to the National Weather Service in Gray, a Blizzard Warning is in effect from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST Monday for Coastal York, Coastal Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox and Coastal Waldo counties. Snow totals will range from 5 to 9 inches along the coast, with gusts exceeding 40 mph and isolated gusts near 50 mph. Visibility will frequently drop below a quarter mile, especially late Monday morning through the afternoon.
In Portland, South Portland, Saco and Biddeford, conditions will deteriorate rapidly during the morning commute. Coastal communities including Rockland, Camden and Belfast face blowing and drifting snow with an elevated risk of scattered power outages.
Farther inland in New Hampshire, including Manchester, Nashua, Derry and Salem, a Blizzard Warning runs from midnight to 10 p.m. Monday. Snowfall totals of 10 to 15 inches combined with gusts up to 45 mph will create near-impossible travel on I-93 and Route 101.
Officials urge residents to delay all travel. If driving becomes unavoidable, carry a winter survival kit and monitor road conditions at newengland511.org. Conditions improve late Monday night, but outages and blocked roads could linger.
