A winter storm that moved through Maine early Wednesday morning caused power outages in several areas, crashes due to slippery roads and closures of schools and state offices.
A black-capped chickadee perches at an ice-covered bird feeder Wednesday in Bath. John Swinconeck / The Times Record
The National Weather Service in Gray issued a winter weather advisory that remained in effect through 4 p.m. Wednesday. Ice accumulations of about two-tenths of an inch are forecast for foothill areas and along the coast.
At least 154 households were without power Wednesday morning after a car struck a utility pole on Cathance Road in Topsham. However, as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, the power was restored to all the customers.
As of 5 p.m. Wednesday, at least 17 CMP customers were without power in Androscoggin County and one customer had no power in Sagadahoc County in the Midcoast region.
“(The) majority of the power outages were reported in and around Cathance Road in Topsham,” Central Maine Power Spokesperson Catherine Hartnett said. “A car had hit a utility pole in that area, and several surrounding roads are affected by the same circuit.”
The inclement weather also caused power outages in Bowdoinham. As of 10:50 a.m., a total of 22 customers were without power, however, the power was restored to all by 1 p.m., but one CMP customer. There were no outages reported in Brunswick, Lisbon, Bath, Wiscasset, Bowdoin or Harpswell.
Harnett said they will continue to keep their crews out on the road and restore outages as they occur. “We have adequate staff to continue to address outages as they occur,” said Harnett. “We know that icing can impact outages and we have staff to address it.”
RSU 5, which serves Freeport, Pownal and Durham, along with Topsham-area MSAD 75 and the Brunswick School District all announced their schools will all be closed Wednesday. Wiscasset and West Bath schools, as well as RSU 1 — which covers Bath, Arrowsic, Phippsburg and Woolwich — also closed Wednesday. People Plus, a Brunswick-area senior community and teen center, also did not open for the day due to the icy conditions.
The Bowdoinham Town Office also opened late due to the slippery road conditions.
Gov. Janet Mills office announced that all the state offices would be closed Wednesday due to the inclement weather. Mills, in the announcement, said Maine residents should avoid driving until roads were safer.
She said state offices will reopen at 11 a.m. on Thursday, when the National Weather Service predicted mostly sunny skies but a high of only about degrees.
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