A spokesman for the Portland International Jetport is optimistic about travel tomorrow, despite the bad weather on the way.

“We’re going to get through tomorrow OK,” Greg Hughes said this afternoon.

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Snowfall is predicted to become heavy shortly after midnight tonight, with most of the accumulation expected to fall through early Wednesday morning. File photo/The Portland Press Herald

Hughes said he’s feeling optimistic because the storm will not be focused in the mid-Atlantic. He said most of the delays and cancellations at the jetport arise from problems farther south.

The National Weather Service in Gray has issued a Winter Storm Warning starting at midnight tonight and running through 6 p.m. Wednesday. 

Locations likely to be impacted with periods of heavy wet snow and sleet include the southern and central portion of the state. Fryeburg, Augusta, Lewiston and Bangor could see 8 inches to a foot, with smaller accumulations in the mountains and along the coast, where snow could mix with freezing rain. In coastal areas low level warm air may work in from the ocean and allow for a change over to cold rain that may keep accumulations down in those areas.

Shortly after midnight the falling snow is predicted to become heavy very quickly with the majority of accumulation expected to fall through early Wednesday morning. The snow will taper off tomorrow afternoon and likely mix or change over to sleet and rain.

The timing of this storm system will adversely affect one of the busiest travel days of the year. According to the weather service, travel conditions will be “treacherous due to slippery roadways and significantly reduced visibilities.”

State police are urging motorists to slow down as roads become slick. The wet, heavy snow also threatens to knock out power.

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