Final snowstorm of 2019 packs one-two punch in New England

Portland, Maine — The final snowstorm of 2019 in New England is packing a one-two punch that left skiers and snowboarders reveling, and others shoveling and chipping ice on Monday. Several thousand were left in the dark because of storm-related power outages.

The first wave of precipitation dumped up to a half-foot of snow on parts of southern Maine, while parts of southern and southwest New Hampshire dealt with ice and sleet, said Chris Legro, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

Before it’s over, a second round of snow could push New Year’s Eve snow totals to up to a foot in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and in Maine from York County to the western foothills, Legro, said. Skiers were stoked. “It’s a nice little New Year’s treat,” said Pat Snow, of Portsmouth, N.H., who was skiing Monday at Sunday River in Maine. For others, it was misery. Several thousand homes and businesses were in the dark, many of them in the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts and in Connecticut. There were hundreds of power outages in New Hampshire and Vermont, as well.

Some flights were also canceled in regional airports.

In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills ordered states offices closed early, at 3 p.m., as conditions deteriorated.

Law enforcement agencies reported that some cars slid off roads Monday, but no serious injuries were reported.

On the Maine Turnpike, a pair of tractor-trailers blocked the toll road in Kennebunk after crashing in the storm; other crashes happened in whiteout conditions near the New Hampshire border, state police said.

Things could have been worse during the morning commute, but many motorists were off the roads because of the holidays.

In Hopkinton, N.H., The Everyday Cafe opened as usual in the morning, but a message on its Facebook page warned customers: “If you don’t have to drive, don’t, stay home!”

Staffer Sara Medbetz said most of her regulars were staying off the roads and only a few trickled in when the doors opened.

“It’s definitely going to be a slower day than usual,” she said.

CHARLES KRUPA/AP PHOTO A worker shovels a coating of crusty snow from the walkway outside town hall during a snowstorm in Exeter, N.H., on Monday. The southern New Hampshire area received a coating of snow and ice during the winter storm.