An overnight snowstorm caused a rash of accidents in southern Maine on Wednesday morning, including one that closed a section of Route 302 for several hours.

Speeds on the Maine Turnpike were restored to normal by late morning, but sporadic accidents persisted throughout the region.

Police departments in York and Cumberland counties reported multiple crashes as commuters headed out onto snow-covered roads. Most of southwestern and coastal Maine received 3 to 7 inches of snow overnight.

Route 302 in Windham was closed at Hall Road near the rotary because of a crash that took down a utility pole, public safety dispatchers reported at 7:15 a.m. Central Maine Power cut electricity in the area to replace the pole, which was resting on a plow truck. Crews replacing the pole finished work and reopened the road at 12:10 p.m.

Speeds were reduced on the Maine Turnpike where a crash was reported in the southbound lanes in Portland shortly before 7:30 a.m. A vehicle was in the median near the Exit 47 interchange and state police troopers were on scene. The crash was cleaned up by late morning.

Another minor single-vehicle crash briefly delayed traffic at mile marker 28 in Brunswick along the Maine Turnpike, but it was quickly cleared by emergency personnel.

The Cumberland Police Department tweeted an image of an overturned car from Tuttle Road late Tuesday night. The department said the driver was taken to the hospital with what appeared to be minor injuries.

Use caution walking and driving today — it’s very slick in spots.

The driver of this car was transported to the hospital following a crash on Tuttle Road late last night. Fortunately the injuries did not appear to be serious. pic.twitter.com/4HlWo39puZ

— Cumberland Police (@CumberlandPD) January 30, 2019

Dozens of schools across the state called for two-hour delays or canceled school for the day.

The snow tapered off and moved to the east by 7:45 a.m., said Justin Arnott, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray. Most areas received only snow, but Brunswick and the midcoast had some rain.

“It’s a balmy 38 degrees and rainy in Rockland,” Arnott said.

The National Weather Service reported 7 inches of snow had fallen in Kittery by 7:15 a.m. Other York County snow totals reported to the weather service include 6 inches in Kennebunk, 8.3 inches in Acton, 7 inches in Biddeford and 6.3 inches in Buxton.

In Cumberland County, the weather service reported 5.6 inches of snow in South Portland, 4.8 inches at the Portland International Jetport, 4.5 inches in Freeport and 4 inches in Brunswick.

Maine could see more snow later in the day, with snow squalls expected across the area around 7 p.m.

“That’s something people need to watch for,” Arnott said. “It can coat the roads quickly and cause dangerous travel. It may last only 20 minutes, but it could drop visibility down to near zero. That can cause you to lose your bearings while you’re driving.”

“The bigger story now is going to turn toward the temperatures. They’ll turn sharply colder this evening,” Arnott said. “In Portland, we don’t expect highs to reach back above freezing until next week. That’s a really chilly stretch.”

From Thursday to Saturday, high temperatures are expected to reach into the 20s, with lows in the single digits.

“We all know how to bundle up, but it’s going to be one of those weeks where you need to be ready for it,” Arnott said.

This story will be updated.

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