A spring snowstorm that walloped the Midwest delivered a fresh mix of snow to northern New England, causing at least one fatality on slippery roads in northern Vermont.
Snowfall totals ranged from around a foot in some mountainous areas to only a few inches in valleys, such as the region along Lake Champlain north and south of Burlington.
Mainers awakened Friday to anywhere from a few inches to nearly a foot of wet, heavy snow as the storm headed northeast. Portland reported only about 3 inches, while Bangor reported five as the storm tapered off Friday morning. In South Paris, 9 inches were on the ground and Fryeburg reported 10 inches of fresh snow.
One man, 35-year-old Paul Ryan of Highgate, Vt., was killed Thursday when he lost control of his car on a snowy road in Highgate. Vermont State Police said Ryan's vehicle spun around and was hit from behind by a sport utility vehicle driven by Evan Marsha, 19, of Highgate. Marsha was not injured.
No problems were reported during the early commute on the Maine Turnpike, but there were numerous cancellations across the state due to the storm.
Sunday storm possible
Looking ahead, the National Weather Service says a potential major coastal storm will move into the area Sunday and into early next week, with rain or snow and wind. Forecasters said it could bring a potential for coastal flooding, and temperatures will remain below normal through early next week.
Still, the latest snowfall was welcome news to skiers and snowboarders looking to extend their season.
In Vermont, the snow prompted at least one resort that had already closed for the season to reopen for the weekend. Mount Snow in West Dover, Vt., got a little less than a foot of fresh snow, prompting its owners to call employees back in and open lifts, trails and lodges.
The resort had closed for the season Sunday.
"Better late than never," said Mount Snow spokesman Chris Lenois. "A lot of people were asking us to do it. We found staff and determined that conditions would be good enough. There's no bare spots on the mountain. I'm looking out my window and it's all white."
Mount Snow was offering cut-rate lift tickets for weekend skiing, including $49 for a full-day adult ticket, compared with the usual $72.
Other outdoors sports suffered.
"We've had bad years before," said Patrick Corbin, executive director of the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association. "For the northern part of the state, it's not at all uncommon to be in this position. Typically, you have snow-covered fields until May anyway."
But in the south, it's something altogether new.
Winnacunnet High School, in Hampton, N.H., moved Thursday's lacrosse games to Wednesday to dodge the blast. The school's athletic director, Carol Dozibrin, said the fields were still clear, but the ice-and-rain mixture coming down Thursday wasn't helping.
"We might have a different story tomorrow," she said.
Southern New Hampshire mostly saw rain and sleet in the storm, with Manchester getting about a half-inch of snow. But areas to the north saw 6 inches of snow or more, with Alexandria getting 8.5 inches and North Bridgewater receiving 7 inches.
Sports schedules changed
At Dartmouth College, officials have been moving games to other schools and rearranging schedules.
"We're just day-to-day right now, trying to make it happen. It's hard for the kids; they're students first and athletes second. They're trying to get their academic house in order so they can compete on Division 1 level," said Kathy Slattery Phillips, a Dartmouth spokeswoman.
The college's golf team, which has a spring season, hasn't been able to play on its own course yet because of lingering winter weather.
"As far as baseball and softball, both of those coaches are tearing their hair out at this point," Slattery Phillips said. "It's just crazy."
The snow was heavy and wet, raising the potential for power outages as the night goes on.
The messy storm came nearly a week after another storm dumped a foot of heavy snow across Maine, knocking out electricity for more than 100,000 homes and businesses at the peak. Utility crews worked from Thursday until Sunday morning to restore power, with many workers missing at least part of the Easter holiday.
Line crews could probably use a rest but they've been warned that they could be needed again, Central Maine Power spokesman John Carroll said.
"We're ready to start working through what might be our second holiday weekend in a row," said Carroll. In Maine, school vacation week starts on Monday, which is celebrated as Patriot's Day in Maine and Massachusetts.