Southern Maine’s latest dose of snow had largely passed by Friday night, and forecasters are now keeping a wary eye on a couple of storms next week.

But the thinking Friday night was that the storms will head out to sea, far enough away to limit any snow that Maine does get.

“It’s either for us or for the fishes,” said Margaret Curtis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, explaining potential tracks for a storm Monday and another Thursday. “If it’s for the fishes, it makes the plowing easier.”

That wasn’t the case Friday, as a storm that followed Tuesday’s blizzard put a fresh coating on the 2 to nearly 3 feet of snow that buried many Maine towns and cities.

Curtis said Friday’s storm dropped 7 inches of snow in Waterville and 6 inches in Turner. About 4 inches was recorded at the Portland International Jetport, and 5.4 inches fell at the weather service office in Gray. Curtis said most places in Maine would get about an inch more before the storm departs early Saturday from Down East Maine.

Several communities declared on-street parking bans, just after those imposed for the blizzard had expired.

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Portland declared Yellow Zone parking bans Wednesday and Thursday to give crews a chance to clear snow from the downtown business district. A citywide parking ban was imposed for Friday night, starting at 10. City officials said Friday’s storm, on top of the snow from the blizzard, complicated cleanup efforts, with many residential streets still narrowed by snowbanks.

“Normally for 4 to 6 inches, we wouldn’t call a citywide parking ban, but because the streets are so narrow, we did so the trucks can clean up as much as they can,” said city spokeswoman Jessica Grondin.

Grondin said it’s too early to gauge how much of a dent the week’s storms have put in the city’s $1.1 million storm cleanup budget. The city had to pay overtime to keep up with Tuesday’s storm and clear it out as quickly as possible, she said.

A spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation also said it was too early to gauge the costs of plowing during the blizzard and other snowstorms this week.

“Prior to the big storm, we were a little less than the average at this time of year for the past five years,” spokesman Ted Talbot said. “It could have caught us up or put us over.”

When a snowstorm affects the entire state, the department mobilizes 350 plows, he said. If the storm hits on a weekend, it is considered automatic overtime. As it is, crews often work 12- to 15-hour shifts, take eight hours rest and then resume plowing, he said.

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The state has a winter budget and a summer budget and can cut back on some of its summer projects, such as tree trimming or culvert work, if its winter budget runs over, Talbot said.

Speed limits remained reduced to 45 mph on Interstate 295, the entire length of the Maine Turnpike, and Interstate 95 to Houlton on Friday night. Police reported few crashes at the start of the morning commute Friday, but there were a few crashes later, including a dramatic one in South Portland at 9:35 a.m. At exit 4 onto I-295 northbound from Main Street in South Portland, the driver of a Chrysler PT Cruiser lost control and hit a light pole, which fell and crashed onto the car behind him. Two people were taken from the Chrysler to a local hospital with minor injuries, said Maine State Police Trooper Doug Cropper.

The evening commute in southern Maine was slowed by the snowfall, but no serious accidents were reported.

Winds Friday were from the northeast at 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph, the weather service said, and temperatures were expected to drop as the weather clears Saturday.

Many Maine school systems called off classes for the day or sent students home early, and the University of Southern Maine closed its Gorham and Portland campuses at 1 p.m.


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