We had a record-breaking storm two days ago. Portland got 31.5 inches of snow, Gorham got 35.5 inches (they were disappointed not to get the full yard). In Yarmouth we got about 18 inches which seemed both a bit weeny and absolutely loads at the same time.
The snow was predicted to start Friday afternoon so Friday morning I set off for a few hours of peace at work - school being closed. There was a good couple of inches of snow on the roads, but it didn't seem to be snowing too heavily and I have good tyres, so I kept going.
I got onto I295 south and immediately ground to a halt. After an hour of inching forward and periodically moving over to let police cars and ambulances past, two fire engines squeezed down the middle of the freeway (do they not have hard shoulders here? Or were they just impossible to find with the snow on the road?), then suddenly we were moving slowly but surely.
Next thing I was passing 19 cars in a row, all pulled over to the side of the road. All bashed, and many facing the wrong way. There were police cars, a couple of ambulances, lots of tow trucks, and in the woods a couple of cars that had spun off and into the trees. In one of them I could see the firefighters cutting off the door to get out someone wrapped in a blanket, who was watching us all drive by.
It was very sobering, especially knowing that the people in the cars off the road had waited more than an hour in the cold for the firefighters to arrive because the freeway was full of idiots like me who should have stayed home.
I turned off at the first exit and headed home, feeling lucky it wasn't me.
We spent Friday watching the snow fall steadily but not spectacularly, then put torches by everyone's bed for the night, assuming we'd lose power.
The wind howled, and the snow fell all night. Next morning there was more than a foot of snow out there, and more coming. Looking at the news, a few people had lost power but not many, and people were mostly being sensible and not trying to get anywhere... which was good because on the Maine Turnpike the snow ploughs and state troopers were sliding off the road.
By Saturday afternoon it had calmed down. Mike, Mark and I went snowshoeing through the woods behind the house (tramping down a path for the kids to get to school next day), and across the fields to the school. It was still windy, and the snow had drifted waist deep in patches.
Next day we headed out to Freeport and Portland, and were amazed at the amount of snow piled up everywhere.
Photos below...
Monday, February 11, 2013
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