Frans Jaspers cleans up after a snowstorm Thursday afternoon in Topsham. Darcie Moore / The Times Record
BRUNSWICK — The first major snowstorm of the season arrived in the Midcoast this morning and dumped at least a foot of snow in the Brunswick area, according to the U.S. National Weather Service.
Snow continued to fall through the afternoon but hadn’t caused any widespread power outages as of 4 p.m., although 82 Central Maine Power customers were without power in Georgetown according to the utility’s website.
The U.S. National Weather Service predicted that the storm will cause dangerous travel conditions with low visibility due to blowing snow. Chief Deputy Brett Strout said the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office wasn’t hadn’t received any reports of vehicle collisions as of 1 p.m., though snowfall has grown heavier than it was in the morning. He said there hasn’t been much traffic on the roads.
There are spots on the road that are slippery, “and if you’re behind another vehicle, it’s almost whiteout conditions,” Strout said.
By 10 a.m., Brunswick police said they had six crashes or vehicles off the road, three of them on Rocky Hill on River Road. The steep hill on that road is often a problem area for motorists during slippery road conditions.
Topsham police only saw two crashes as of early Thursday afternoon. However, Police Chief Marc Hagan said several cars and trucks had been stuck or slid off the road because the snow is accumulating faster than plow crews can clear it from the road.
A winter storm warning remains in effect until 4 p.m. Thursday. The U.S. National Weather Service reported Brunswick had 12 inches of snow as of 12:30 p.m. and Topsham had 14.5 inches just after 2 p.m. in its latest snowfall update.
Diana Jaspers brushes snow from a car in Topsham Thursday. Darcie Moore / The Times Record
Topsham and Harpswell had closed their town offices and solid waste facilities Thursday.
Brunswick has a parking ban in effect from 10 p.m. Thursday to 7 a.m. Friday. Topsham had a parking ban in effect until 6 p.m. Thursday; Lisbon has a parking ban in effect until 4 a.m. Friday; and Freeport has a parking ban in effect until 7 a.m. Friday.
Bath has a standing parking ban in effect until March 15 that prohibits vehicles from parking on streets for more than 30 minutes between midnight and 6 a.m.
A snow day for some, remote learning for others
Schools were closed in Brunswick, Maine School Administrative District 75, Regional School Unit 1, Regional School Unit 5, Lisbon and West Bath. Brunswick, MSAD 75 and RSU 1 are requiring students to participate in remote learning Thursday.
Mt. Ararat High School junior Lucy Nelson of Harpswell said she was disappointed she didn’t get a traditional snow day Thursday.
“For me, I’ve spent the entire day since 8 o’clock this morning on zoom calls and just been on my laptop all day and that’s not fun,” Nelson said at noon Thursday. “It’s not being fun inside starting at a screen for five hours straight and I still have some more classes to go.”
Nelson normally does remote learning Monday through Wednesday and is in school Thursday and Friday. Her remote learning Thursday was more involved than normal remote learning days. She normally doesn’t have to “zoom into any classes” and has the flexibility to complete work at her own pace while learning remotely.
Thursday was also stressful because a lot of people didn’t know what was going on and students were absent from each of her online classes.
“It’s been quite disruptive and annoying to people,” she said. “I feel like people around here, they love their snow days and we’re lucky to have them.”
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