Storm drops nearly two feet of snow on Aroostook County

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Caribou captured this image Sunday night, adding the caption, "Snow drifts around our office @NWSCaribou this evening. The blowing and drifting snow will be a major weather hazard across our region well into Monday. If you do not have to be out on the roads, please consider waiting until conditions improve." (Courtesy of NWS)

CARIBOU, Maine — By 5:30 a.m. Monday, Carol Hardy of Caribou already had gone outside twice to snowblow in an effort to stay ahead of the storm piling snow up in her driveway. 

“I can’t believe how quickly snow is accumulating out there,” she said later that morning. “I can’t wait for it to end.”

Tony Mignone, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Caribou, said Monday afternoon that the classic nor’easter that struck the state Sunday into Monday had dumped nearly two feet of snow on some parts of Aroostook County before it moved out of the area.

“It really was a powerful storm,” he said. “It brought all of the elements that we predicted as far as the damaging snow and wind and ice.”

Mignone said that the most snow, 23.5 inches, fell in Van Buren. Madawaska saw 21.6 inches of snow, while 20 inches of snow fell in Frenchville. In Lille, residents were clearing away 18 inches of snow, while in Connor they were working on 17.8 inches.

Lesser accumulations fell downstate, according to the meteorologist.

Shirley, in Piscataquis County, received 13 inches, as did the town of Cooper. Orono picked up  11 inches. Machias received 9 inches. Bar Harbor saw six inches, while Southwest Harbor received 6.1 inches, and Brewer picked up 8 inches.  

Hannah Hagan of Houlton said that while she hated the storm, her two children, Logan and Hailey, just loved it.

“They spent most of the day out there playing,” she said. “They made a snow fort and two snowmen. They reminded me of the fun my siblings and I used to have on snow days as children, before video games took over.”