BRUNSWICK

Midcoast Mainers awoke to single-digit temperatures this morning after a night of snow and blustery winds.

The National Weather Service in Gray predicts today will be mostly sunny, with a high near 14, but with wind chill as low as -11 with gusts as high as 25 mph. There is a 40 percent chance of snow after midnight, but there’s more to come. The NWS calls for a 90 percent chance of snow Sunday night.

Local schools were back in session today after closing Thursday. Many town offices closed at noon Thursday and Bath Iron Works also announced it was closing facilities early except for essential personnel.

The Brunswick Graham Road Landfill was closed all day on Thursday. Brunswick Public Works Director John Foster stated in an announcement that the workers at the landfill were needed to help on the plow routes. The landfill was to reopen today and Saturday as usual from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Local police advised folks to stay off the roads and to heed parking bans.

Topsham has just shy of 90 miles of road to maintain. Drivers operating the seven plow trucks were busy Thursday morning getting ready to hit the road, knowing it would be a long day.

Topsham Public Works Director Dennis Cox said the cold temperatures would be a challenge. Crews use a pre-mix of sand and salt, but the salt may not work on the snow in such cold temperatures. As a result, they planned to use more sand to keep the snow from packing into cracks and crevices on the road. As a result, drivers need to be careful as slippery conditions may persist even after roads are plowed.

Cox said Topsham has used quite a bit of salt and sand this year — approximately 70 to 75 percent, because of the amount of icing on the roads.

Topsham Public Works is also using more fuel and manpower to sand and salt the roads. While the department shouldn’t be going over budget, Cox said the town hasn’t seen a savings either, given the nature of the winter.

Elsewhere

Thursday’s storm came a day after temperatures soared into the 50s and 60s, giving millions in the Northeast a taste of spring. But then it was back to reality.

Berwick recorded more than 16 inches of snow and Lee, New Hampshire, got 14 inches.

The storm dumped a foot or more of snow along the New Yorkto Boston corridor, forced the cancellation of schools in cities big and small and grounded thousands of flights.

“We were waiting for a good one all year,” said Morgan Crum, a manager at Katz Ace Hardware in Glastonbury, Connecticut, where more than 50 people stopped in to buy shovels, ice melt, gas cans and other storm provisions. “We live in New England. This is what we expect.”

Numerous accidents were reported as drivers dealt with blowing and drifting snow and slippery streets. Stretches of Interstate 95 in Rhode Island were closed in the afternoon after tractor-trailers got stuck.

Dozens of motorists got stranded on New York’s Long Island after they couldn’t make it up icy ramps. Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said snow plow drivers were going to have a “long night” working on icy roads.

Schools in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and elsewhere called off classes for the day and government offices told nonessential workers to stay home. The mayor of Boston said schools would be closed today as well.

Thousands of flights were canceled across the region and planes bound for New York’s Kennedy Airport were ordered held on the ground for hours while crews cleared the runways.

In Rhode Island, they got “thundersnow,” with whiteout conditions accompanied by the rumble of thunder.

“It’s pretty nuts here,” Felecia White said as she and friends hunkered down in a restaurant in Newport, Rhode Island, waiting for the weather to improve. “Even with four-wheel drive, you can’t do anything. You can’t see across the street.”

Some neighborhoods in New York City saw a foot or more of the white stuff. Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, recorded more than 10 inches of snow and East Hartford, Connecticut, saw more than 19 inches.

The Philadelphia area was largely spared after being told to expect up to 8 inches. Some suburbs received 5 inches, but by the afternoon, the sun was out.

TIMES RECORD reporter Darcie Moore and the Associated Press’ Philip Marcelo contributed to this report.