3 to 6 inches of snow expected across Maine on Tuesday

Travis Maloon, a shopkeeper at High Tide Low Tide Seafood in Skowhegan, clears snow from the store’s parking lot on Jan. 7. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel

Forecasters are predicting up to a half a foot of snow could fall across Maine on Tuesday from a storm working its way up the coast.

Michael Clair, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Gray, said the snow is expected to start around sunrise and fall steadily throughout the day, with the heaviest snow coming during the afternoon and evening commuting hours in the Portland area.

Clair expects 3-6 inches throughout the state, with the storm ending by 10 p.m. in Portland and later farther north.

“For the most part, it will be snowing all day tomorrow,” Clair said. “This is a fairly tame one, compared to what we have been seeing. The big concern for this one is the travel hazard, with the snow on the roadways. … It’s fairly dry snow, relatively easy to move.”

The snow comes as Mainers along the coast continue to clean up and assess the damage from heavy wind and rain Saturday, which caused historic flooding when coupled with powerful storm surge during astronomical high tides.

Clair said Tuesday’s storm is not expected to add to flooding concerns along the coast.

Forecasters are tracking another potential storm arriving Friday, but Clair said it’s too soon to say how much snow that could bring.

Snowfall has been in short supply so far this winter. The recorded snowfall in Portland is around a foot less than normal, at 13.6 inches, compared to 25.5 inches in a typical year, Clair said.