Updated at 12:20 p.m.
WELLS — A powerful winter storm that prompted Maine’s governor to declare a state of emergency is being blamed for a fatal crash in the town of Wells.
Blizzard warnings were in effect Monday for most of Maine and much of New Hampshire, and hurricane-force winds were recorded at offshore buoys. Maine Gov. John Baldacci shut down state government.
In Portland, city offices for all nonessential services were closed because of the storm while in Auburn the city delayed the opening of its offices.
Wells police say 59-year-old Richard Folsom of Wells died several hours after his pickup crashed into a tree Sunday night.
As of 10 a.m., Central Maine Power reported 2,921 customers in southern Maine without power because of the storm, with most of the outages concentrated in the Alfred area.
The National Weather Service says snowfall tallies reached nearly a foot.
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