YORK COUNTY — Schools were closed and speed limits reduced as snow fell across York County on Monday. 

Communities across the county saw varying levels of snow overnight and into the morning, with freezing rain taking over in the afternoon.

Three inches of snow fell in Saco and just northeast of Biddeford, while Sanford saw 4 inches of  the white stuff on Monday, said Chris Kimbel, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray. Southern coastal communities saw less blanketing, with Kennebunk receiving 1.5 inches and Eliot seeing just about an inch.

Kimbel said just after noon on Monday the snowfall had completed, and that some parts of the county would see freezing rain as the afternoon continued.

“Right now what we’re having is a bit of a freezing drizzle. It’s really light,” he said. “Roads for the most part, if they still have snow on them, the freezing rain won’t have as big an impact as it would otherwise.”

Several school districts closed their doors because of the storm. Schools in Biddeford and Dayton, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Sanford, Regional School Unit 57 and Wells were either shuttered, delayed or closed early. Plow trucks could be seen up and down the Maine Turnpike, where speed limits were reduced to 45 M.P.H. as crews worked to clear snow and slush from the pavement.

Kimbel said temperatures would rise to the mid-to-upper-thirties today and remain in the mid-thirties on Wednesday. Some of the accumulation could melt when temperatures rise above freezing, but the sun’s low angle will likely only melt the roads, Kimbel said.

Temperatures will plummet into the 20s on Thursday, Kimbel cautioned, and people should be prepared to wear proper attire for when they do.

“People should wear heavier winter coats so they can be warm when it’s cold outside,” he said.

And while Kimbel snow will hold off throughout the week, he said there is the potential for a weekend storm late Saturday night. That storm may turn into rain, he said, but it could be too soon to tell.

“There’ll be another chance for some snow possibly transitioning into rain, but it’s pretty far out,” he said.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or [email protected].