As storm hits stride, residents hunker down

A blustery north wind provides a glimpse of sideways snow today in West Lebanon. (Lebanon Voice/Harrison Thorp photo)

Residents of the Northern Seacoast appear to have heeded officials warnings and stayed inside and off the roads and may be rewarded by snow totals below what was predicted.

Both Rochester and Milton Police reported no significant accidents overnight.

This morning there appeared to be about five or six inches on the ground in West Lebanon with significant drifting due to 30 mph winds.

The wind and wind gusts should peak early this afternoon, with steady 38 mph winds out of the north predicted.

The storm strength is expected to weaken by midafternoon, although the blizzard warning continues through early Wednesday.

Lebanon, Milton and Rochester municipal offices will all be closed today, along with area schools.

The Lebanon transfer station will also be closed while Waste Management will postpone today's Rochester collections till tomorrow and continue on a one day delay the rest of the week.

With folks staying off the roads, town crews are getting a decent shot to clear the roads despite the intensity of the snow.

"Right now downtown Milton streets are looking OK," said Milton Police Chief Richard Krauss today around 6:30 a.m.

Meanwhile, CMP and PSNH already have response plans in place if any widespread outages occur.

"We've put our storm response plan into motion, and we're watching the forecast closely," said Gail Rice, spokesperson for Central Maine Power on Monday. "High winds are always a concern, and while the snow is expected to be dry and less likely to coat tree limbs and wires, it could still create tough travel and working conditions. So we're getting crews, equipment, and materials in place to respond."
The utility is coordinating its storm preparation efforts with other utilities in the North Atlantic Mutual Assistance Group, or NAMAG. It is also lining up contract crews to assist local crews if the storm causes widespread damage. CMP is also keeping the Maine Emergency Management Agency apprised on preparation efforts.

Rochester's parking ban continues till Wednesday at 11 a.m., while Milton's ends Wednesday at noon.