Another storm? Say it ain't snow

The Northern Seacoast is predicted to get 6-10 inches. (Accuweather image)

It looks like March is going out like a lion.

Within a few short hours, folks in the Northern Seacoast can expect to begin seeing a snowfall that could end up going through the night and into tomorrow with as much as 10 inches of wet, heavy stuff to shovel, plow and curse at.

With temperatures settling into the low 30s and a thick cloud cover overhead, a few flakes could begin falling anytime, according to Accuweather forecasters, but it shouldn't begin to accumulate till later in the day.

The prospect of heavy, wet snow always brings with it the possibility of power outages, especially when it combines with stiff winds, so utility crews will be ready, they say. As of Noon, Accuweather forecasted the strongest winds of 21 mph to come around 5 a.m. on Saturday.

In Rochester, road crews will be out in force as soon as the snow begins to accumulate, which Public Works Chief John Storer expects to happen between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Storer said a parking ban will be in effect for residential streets from 8 p.m. tonight till 8 p.m. Saturday, but the downtown area will be exempt for short-term parking for local business patrons.

"We'll try to work around the downtown," he said, noting that downtown parking lot users still need a special sticker from the city allowing them to park there overnight.

Since temperatures are supposed to stay right around freezing or slightly above, Storer said they won't bother to pretreat the roads.

"Temperatures should stay warm enough, so I don't expect a lot of icing on contact," he said. "The roads will get slushy, but hopefully we can keep them scraped down."

Meanwhile, over at Home Depot, Assistant Manager Shawn Chapman said they're selling a lot of shear pins for snowblowers and holding off on taking the outdoor plant displays outside.

"We're keeping the plants on carts, so we can get them out and in," he said.

The storm is expected to continue all through the day Saturday till it finally winds down around 7 p.m.

After that temps will climb into the upper 40s with some sunshine to boot on Sunday and Monday.