A mix of wintry precipitation hit Maine overnight, making for a messy Wednesday morning commute and causing hundreds of closings across the state.
The National Weather Service extended its winter weather advisory for many parts of the state into Wednesday afternoon as the blend of snow, sleet and freezing rain continues to make driving conditions slick and dangerous.
Many school districts — including Auburn, Biddeford, Brunswick, Gorham, Lewiston, Portland, Sanford, Waterville and Winthrop — were closed Wednesday. Students at some other schools, including Augusta and Gardiner, moved to remote classes for the day.
The opening of the Maine Legislature’s 2026 session, scheduled for Wednesday morning, was delayed until noon because of the inclement weather.
Speed limits on the entire Maine Turnpike have been reduced to 45 mph due to snowy conditions, according to the Maine Turnpike Authority. Wide loads are not permitted while the speeds remain in effect.
Multiple crashes occurred Wednesday morning along the turnpike, according to alerts from the Maine Turnpike Authority.
Shannon Moss, a spokesperson for Maine State Police, said late Wednesday morning that troopers had responded to about 10 vehicles that slid off Interstate 95, but that no injuries were reported.
“It’s been very insignificant so far,” Moss wrote in an email.
Brad Nadeau, a spokesperson for Portland police, said no crashes out of the ordinary were reported in the city Wednesday morning.
Dry air is doing a number on our system this morning as is evident by the fragmented bands of precipitation on radar. However, light snow, and now light freezing rain in southern areas, will still make for a slippery morning commute. #MEwx #NHwx pic.twitter.com/nuqIzTGeMK
— NWS Gray (@NWSGray) January 7, 2026
Still, the National Weather Service is urging drivers to use caution because of the slippery conditions.
The weather service’s alert is effective until 1 p.m. Wednesday for south central and southwest Maine, as well as interior Cumberland County. Snow accumulation up to 3 inches is possible in those regions, according to the National Weather Service’s office in Gray.
The agency’s Caribou office issued a winter weather advisory for parts of Hancock, Washington and Penobscot counties effective until 3 p.m. Wednesday. Those areas will also see mixed precipitation and below-freezing temperatures, as well as freezing rain throughout the day.
A handful of power outages were reported Wednesday morning, mostly in Franklin and Somerset counties, according to Central Maine Power’s website.
About 1,200 CMP customers in Franklin County (most of them in Kingfield), almost 1,000 in Somerset County and about 150 in Sagadahoc County were without power as of just before noon.
Versant Power, which provides electricity to much of northern and eastern Maine, reported about 250 customers without power Wednesday morning, mostly attributed to a vehicle that struck electrical equipment on Mount Desert Island.