Maine is on the edge of a large ocean storm this weekend. Snow will be falling heavily to our south, but the heaviest snow shield won’t make it into our area.

The storm will be close enough to produce some light snow Saturday afternoon and evening and could amount to several inches.  The highest totals will be across southern coastal York County.  Farther north, snow totals will be less and inland areas may see nothing or just a few flurries.

The snow arrives during early to mid-afternoon and progresses northward along the coast.  The snow then ends Saturday evening with a return to nice weather Sunday, though it will be quite cold.

Temperatures will reach the mid-20s both Saturday and Sunday.  This is cold, but not unusually cold for January.

If you’re hitting the roads this weekend …

Roads will be dry Saturday morning, but they’ll be blanketed in snow by Saturday evening all along the coast, including Portland. If you are headed north, you can expect dry roads throughout much of the day Saturday.  Sunday is a cold, dry and sunny day with plenty of time to clear the roads.  Get an early start, especially if you’re headed south to Boston.

If you’re heading to Logan Airport …

Beware of flight delays or cancellations. The Saturday storm will affect a large swath of the nation, from South Carolina through southern Delaware, starting on Friday night. The snow will start to affect Logan airport directly late Saturday morning or early afternoon. Remember, it can take a couple of days for air travel to return to normal after a snowstorm.

If you’re going skiing …

While this is a southern New England snowstorm, clouds and perhaps some light snow will make it to southern New Hampshire and coastal southern Maine.  Maine’s ski areas won’t see any snow, but plenty of cold weather to keep those bases strong.

If you’re heading snowmobiling or ice fishing …

Smaller ponds and lakes are frozen in parts of the area, but some water is still visible on larger bodies of water.  Be sure to know what you are going out on.  You don’t want to be that person who falls through the ice.

If you’re going hiking or running …

Coastal Maine will be grazed by the storm, with some snow expected later Saturday.  Sunday it’s back to the sunshine and cold temperatures.

I will be updating the forecast on Twitter @growingwisdom throughout the weekend.

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