Hunker down, there’s another Maine storm coming. This time, between six and 12 inches of snow is forecast to fall on coastal and interior York County, beginning early Wednesday morning, according to a weather alert issued by the National Weather Service office in Gray.

A winter storm warning is in effect from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, and the snowfall is expected to be heavy at times.

Some high school sports teams have already rescheduled: In Biddeford, a girls hockey playoff game scheduled for Wednesday was moved up to tonight.

Parking bans are expected to be called in many communities. By 8:15 a.m. today, Old Orchard Beach had already posted a parking ban beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday through 6 p.m. Thursday.

If the snow falls as expected, school closings are likely. In Sanford, Superintendent of Schools David Theoharides said there have been two closings due to bad weather this year. He said he usually starts looking at forecast and conditions at 4 a.m. when snow is forecast and makes a decision whether to close schools by 5 a.m.

According to the National Weather Service, the snow will make travel conditions difficult and visibility will be reduced ”“ to as low as a quarter-mile at times.

NWS Meteorologist Eric Sinsabaugh said snowfall this season, as measured in Portland, is 44.3 inches as of today. That’s 8.6 inches above normal, which is pegged at 35.7 inches.

The snow that is forecast to fall in interior and coastal York County Wednesday is expected to be about half of Maine’s greatest 24-hour snowfall total on record, as measured by the weather service. According to online data, 22.3 inches of snow fell at the Portland Jetport on Dec. 17, 1970, topping the former record of 21.5 inches of snow that fell in Portland on Jan. 26, 1888.

The snowiest February, as measured in Portland, appears to have been in 1969, when 61.2 inches of snow fell, the weather service reported.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].