Icy conditions from freezing rain that fell overnight prompted dozens of delays and caused problems on the roads Thursday morning.
Schools across southern Maine delayed opening, as did municipal offices in Portland, South Portland, Westbrook and other communities.
“It wasn’t a lot of ice, but it was certainly enough to make things slippery and a little treacherous for the morning commute,” said Andy Pohl, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray.
A quarter to a third of an inch of ice accumulated across Southern Maine, but it soon melted as temperatures reached the 40s.
The speed limit on the Maine Turnpike was reduced overnight, but returned to normal before the morning commute. A Cumberland County dispatcher said the office was getting reports of some slippery areas, but no crashes had been reported. In Scarborough, a crash was reported on Pleasant Hill Road.
South Portland police responded to a serious accident near the Budget Inn. Police said later that a 60-year-old man died after apparently intentionally stepping in front of a tractor-trailer. Main Street was closed from Westbrook Street to Cash Corner for a couple of hours.
It won’t be long before another blast of winter arrives.
A wintry mix arriving early Friday was expected to bring mostly rain to the coast, but snow further north and in the mountains. There may be a little freezing rain in York County, Pohl said.
“That one is going to be a fast hitter,” he said. “At least for Portland, we’re not going to see a whole lot of impact.”
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