Maine
Maine peaks see first snowfall of the season
Sugarloaf Mountain got about 2 inches at the summit from the first snowfall of the season on Monday, according to snow reporter Erica Jenson. Maine’s northwestern edge is expected to see more snowfall between Monday and Wednesday, the weather service forecasts. Erica Jenson/Sugarloaf Mountain
Maine received its first reported snowfall of the season this week, draping the peaks in northern and western Maine with thin veils of white rising above the fall foliage at the lower elevations.
Webcams at Sugarloaf and Saddleback ski areas both captured snowfall Monday, but it was not clear how much had accumulated.
So far, the snow has been mostly restricted to the higher peaks, Greg Cornwell, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Gray office, said Monday afternoon. The weather service had not yet received snowfall totals or issued any snowfall reports, which usually come out following an inch or more of accumulation but rely largely on data gathered by volunteers, he said.
Cornwell said the timing of this year’s first snowfall is “pretty well in-step” with what the weather service usually observes, but emphasized that it’s been mostly limited to the mountaintops.
“It is the time of the year we see snow coming into the higher terrain,” he said. “Enough to whiten things up.”
Cornwell said Mount Washington in New Hampshire – for which data was available – reported snow depths of 2 inches, and estimated that Maine’s mountains saw no more than 4 inches over the last two days. With precipitation expected to conclude overnight Monday into Tuesday, the weather service may start to have better snowfall data by Tuesday afternoon, he said.
Sugarloaf, located in Carrabassett Valley, issued its first Snow Report late Monday morning.
“Waking up to snow on the mountain makes for a happy day,” snow reporter Erica Jenson wrote around 11:45 a.m. “Enjoy the final days of fall as we begin welcoming in our favorite season.”
In addition to the early morning dusting, Sugarloaf saw a mixture of snow and rain around 4 p.m., which cleared up toward evening, Jenson said when reached by phone Monday night.
She said the summit saw around 2 inches of snow buildup, but “nothing super substantial.”
The base of the mountain also got a dusting, but warmer temperatures and rain later in the day washed away what had accumulated, she said. She said the resort usually sees its first snowfall toward the middle of October.
“We’re right on schedule,” Jenson said.
Maine’s northwestern edge is expected to see more snowfall between Monday and Wednesday, the weather service forecasts. Towns like Rangeley and Jackman are mostly slated to get less than an inch of snow, but some areas along the Canadian border may see greater accumulations, the weather service said.
As the temperatures drop and snow begins to build up, Cornwell urged any hikers to make sure they are considering and preparing for the conditions at higher elevations before attempting a climb.
“Sometimes the conditions you see at the trailhead don’t match that of the higher summits,” he said. “Be prepared for a change in weather conditions.”
Many Maine municipalities will open cooling centers this week with the National Weather Service issuing a variety of heat advisories covering the next few days.
The Maine DEP also issued an air quality alert for Wednesday with ground-level ozone expected to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups.
All of York County, interior Cumberland and Androscoggin counties, and the southern half of Oxford County will fall under an extreme heat warning from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Friday.
The warning calls for “dangerously hot conditions” that could feature heat index values of up to 110 degrees, with overnight lows only expected to fall into the 70s, according to the weather service’s office in Gray.
The rest of the state — save northern Aroostook, Piscataquis and Somerset counties — falls under a heat advisory from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday. However, the weather service has also placed much of the state under an extreme heat watch for Thursday.
Heat index values, which measure how hot it feels to the human body when relative humidity is combined with the air temperature, are expected to reach up to 104 degrees during the heat advisory period, the weather service warns. They could reach 110 degrees Thursday, when the extreme heat watch is in effect.
Northern Oxford and Franklin counties, and central Somerset County, can expect a heat index value of up to 99 degrees Wednesday, according to the weather service.
The weather service advises people to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms when possible, avoid extended periods in the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors. It also warns not to leave young children and pets in unattended vehicles, as “car interiors will reach lethal temperatures in a matter of minutes.”
Cooling Centers
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has also issued an air quality alert from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Wednesday along the coast from Kittery to Acadia National Park. The agency warns that ground-level ozone concentrations are expected to reach levels that are unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Ozone levels may reach “moderate levels” further inland, according to the Maine DEP, including in all of Androscoggin and Kennebec counties, as well as parts of Cumberland, Knox, Lincoln, Penobscot, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington and York counties.
Elevated ozone levels can pose a risk to children, older adults and people suffering from respiratory or heart diseases, according to the Maine DEP. Anyone exerting themselves outdoors may also experience health effects, which could include coughing, shortness of breath, throat irritation and mild chest pain.
Ozone levels were already climbing in southern New England on Tuesday, according to the Maine DEP, and winds are expected to bring those conditions to Maine on Wednesday.
The Maine DEP recommends that vulnerable populations avoid strenuous outdoor activities, keep windows closed, and circulate indoor air with fans or air conditioners. Those with asthma are also advised to keep quick-relief medication handy.
Particle pollution levels are also expected to be moderate across the state on Wednesday due to wildfire smoke, the Maine DEP said in its announcement Tuesday. Wildfires in Colorado, which have claimed the lives of three firefighters, had burned nearly 90,000 acres as of Tuesday, according to the Denver Post.
Maine could face up to $50 million in penalties next year due to errors in its payments for federal food benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Newly released data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture find that Maine’s error rate last year was nearly 11%, the bulk of which were overpayments. That’s in line with the U.S. average. But starting in October of next year, states with error rates above 6% must cover a portion of the SNAP benefits.
Anna Korsen, executive director of Full Plates, Full Potential, said the overpayments aren’t fraud — they’re human error. She said this new cost-shifting policy enacted last year under the Trump administration further complicates the SNAP application process.
“Instead, we could make this program more accessible and more efficient,” Korsen said. “And that would reduce the number of errors and also ensure that Mainers who are eligible for SNAP have access to it.”
She’s urging Congress to delay or reverse the policy under the farm bill that’s currently under consideration.
Maine’s Department of Health and Human Services said it’s taking steps to reduce the error rate, including modernizing its systems and hiring an additional 40 eligibility specialists.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.
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