SANFORD — The snowfall inland could be heavy at times this afternoon and by the time it is all said and done, those living  just a few miles  from the coast could see as much 6 to 8 inches of snow on the ground.

As well, winds, gusting as high as 50 miles a hour, will likely cause some splash over at the coast at high tide — around 11 a.m. at Biddeford Pool— say meteorologists at the National Weather Service Office in Gray.

While all of the precipitation that falls today is forecasted to begin as snow, it won’t take long for that to change in coastal locations.

“Biddeford should change over to rain fairly quickly,” said NWS meteorologist Bob Marine at 5 a.m. today.  “Biddeford won’t see  very much out of of this (storm)  but just a few miles inland  — 5 to 10 miles — there will be significant snowfall.”

Sanford could see around 6-8 inches of snow,  beginning late morning. Marine said the snow will become heavy by mid-to late-afternoon.

Central Maine Power said their crews are readying for the storm.

“CMP’s storm readiness teams have been holding planning meetings, and the company is pre-positioning personnel and equipment to ensure that adequate resources are in place to restore power outages that might occur as a result of the storm,” said CMP spokeswoman Gail Rice in a statement.  She said if the resources are needed, CMP can call on resources from other AVANGRID energy companies in Connecticut and New York, as well as contractors and regional mutual assistance partners. 

She advised customers to enroll in free CMP Alerts service, which provides the latest information about power outages by text message, email, or voice message. 

As well, folks are advised to keep battery-operated flashlights and radios on hand, along with supplies of drinking water and non-perishable foods; make sure that smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices are fully charged and vehicle fuel tanks are filled.

 CMP’s outage reporting line is 800-696-1000.

As of 5 a.m., parking bans have been called for 10 a.m.  today to 10 a.m. Friday in Sanford, including Springvale village,  and in Kennebunkport beginning at noon.

Friday’s temperatures are expected to come close to the 40 degree mark, said Marine, under sunny skies.

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