It’s a waiting game at this point. There’s no way we aren’t going to see a major storm, it’s just a question of how major. I don’t think this is going to be a top five storm for Portland as the heaviest amount of precipitation looks like it will stay just to our south.

Storms like this where everyone gets a lot of snow, still have pockets where there is even more snow. Back in the Blizzard of 1978, while Boston had over 27 inches of snow, Portland didn’t even record half of that amount.

While this storm won’t bring widespread two-foot amounts of snow, there is a chance this storm brings a 18 inches of snow to coastal and parts of interior Maine. Notice the odds are quite high for much of the coastline reaching this milestone of accumulation.

This storm will cripple travel through Wednesday morning and it will take until Thursday before things start to get back to normal. These types of storms can shut the Portland Jetport down for a day.

I’ll update the forecast here and on Twitter @growingwisdom. I can also take questions there.

Everything will be closed tomorrow and many schools will be closed Wednesday. If the sidewalks are not clear a few places might have another no school day. Our world is about to be transformed into a mantle of white with enormous snowbanks, drifts and deep snow across the landscape. Two-lane roads will become one lane and we all are going to have to add 10 minutes to wherever we are going for a while.

It all begins late tonight with the snow starting light and then becoming increasingly heavy during the evening and overnight. There won’t be any issues with the evening commute. There will likely be snow south of Portland at that time. Along the coast the snow will become moderate earliest.

6 p.m. Monday to 1 a.m. Tuesday
The storm will begin over extreme southern areas late in this time period. I expect an inch or two of snow south of Old Orchard with the most over southern York County.

1 a.m. to sunrise Tuesday
The storm will ramp up during this time and by sunrise snow should be falling at a rate of 1-2 inches per hour. There will be 3-6 inches of snow on the ground around Portland at this time.

The high tide during this period will bring the highest risk for some coastal flooding and perhaps some major beach erosion. The maps below give an idea of the wind gusts during the peak of the storm.

7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday
The storm will rage full force. We will see another 6-12 inches of snow during this time and winds will be gusting over 40 miles per hour at times. This is the period when the bulk of the snow will fall. Some power outages are likely and if blizzard conditions are going to be experiences it’s during this time they are most likely.

Power outages can occur although the snow will be very light and fluffy so that is a positive aspect to all the cold temperatures.

1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday
It is still going to be snowing and there will an additional 2-6 inches of snow, especially over eastern areas. The wind will be gusty, but diminishing and not as ferocious. The high tide during this period will be high, but I don’t expect flooding issues.

7 p.m. Tuesday to Wednesday morning
I wouldn’t be surprise to see some snow showers continue during this time, but it won’t amount to more than a coating to 3 inches. By then, you’ll be an expert at snow clearing.

More snow and cold
There is the chance for some snow Thursday night and into Friday. This storm will be a close call and I’ll have more information later this week when I have better data. A very cold air mass is poised to move south from the arctic late this weekend or early next week. This cold will likely rival anything we have seen this year and has the potential to be the coldest air we have seen in decades.

The next 10 days of winter are going to remind anyone over a certain age of the winters of 1976-1977, 1977-1978, or even some of the cold and snow winters of the 1950s.