Publication Date February 17, 2017 | Washington Post

After three straight blizzards, snow reaches historic depths in Maine

United States
A car travels along Kingsbury Lane in Kennebunk, Maine, on Feb. 16. Photo: Gregory Rec, Portland Press Herald via AP
A car travels along Kingsbury Lane in Kennebunk, Maine, on Feb. 16. Photo: Gregory Rec, Portland Press Herald via AP

While large portions of the Lower 48 are witnessing a year without a winter, Maine is one of just a couple regions that is a notable exception.

A trio of powerful winter storms pummeled communities from Maine to the Canadian Maritime provinces over the past week, leaving a blanket of snow up to 8 feet deep in some locations. The 1-2-3 punch of storms knocked out power, closed schools and businesses, caused numerous accidents and has generally crippled the region.

“Snow depths across Maine are near record territory this morning!,” the National Weather Service office serving the region around Portland reported Thursday.

The town of Andover had a mind-boggling settled snow pack of 79 inches, or just over 6.5 feet. That now stands as the second deepest snow pack ever measured in Maine for a non-mountainous reporting station. Chimney Pond at an elevation of 2,900 feet, is stacked under 94 inches of the white stuff.

The Weather Service tweeted that Maine had received more snow than anywhere else in the Lower 48 away from the western mountains and northern Great Lakes.

“Trees and limbs are breaking under the weight of the snow. The wires that we’ve seen taken down tonight have been quickly buried in the snow making them almost impossible to see,” the Waterboro Fire Department posted on Facebook. “If your power is out, make sure your wires are still up before venturing out to clean up this lovely mess.”