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About a tenth of an inch of ice coated some areas — a little
less than the amount that can cause power outages from falling
tree limbs, but more than enough to create unsafe roads.
Nonetheless, there were a few thousand power outages, mostly in
Maine, with several hundred in Massachusetts.
“With icy conditions forecast during both the morning and
afternoon bus routes, ensuring the safety of our students and
staff is our highest priority,” said the administration of Maine
Regional School Unit 21, based in Kennebunk, in a statement.
All six New England states were under National Weather Service
winter weather advisories, and the service issued several
hazardous weather outlook statements for northern areas that
could be hit with winter storms in the coming days. The
possibility of heavy rain followed by dropping temperatures
could create treacherous driving conditions later in the week,
the service said.
Highway authorities in Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts
reported numerous accidents and vehicle spinouts in those
states, though there were no serious injuries reported as of
late Wednesday morning. At least five New England airports,
including Logan International Airport in Boston, had aircraft
being treated with deicing fluid for snow and ice.
In southern Maine, the National Weather Service issued a winter
weather advisory despite the potential for only two inches of
snow in some areas, said Jerry Combs, meteorologist with the
service in Gray, Maine. And more hazardous weather could be on
the way, as another system is expected to bring rain Friday
night into Saturday, followed by the potential for snow Saturday
into Sunday, he said.
The service typically holds off on issuing an advisory unless
there is the potential for four inches of snow, but other kinds
of messy weather necessitated it on Wednesday, Combs said.
“That was for the freezing rain and sleet and snow mixture,” he
said. “That makes the road conditions that much worse.”
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Associated Press writer Kathy McCormack in Concord, New
Hampshire, contributed to this report.
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