Snow hits northern New England on April Fools’ Day

Associated Press

MONTPELIER, Vt.

It’s April Fools’ Day, but it’s no joke: People across northern New England woke up to a foot of heavy, wet snow on parts of the region Saturday and conducted weekend business as more fell throughout the day.

The storm caused power outages and numerous highway wrecks.

“This is Mother Nature’s idea of an April Fools’ joke,” said meteorologist Eric Schwibs of the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

But he said that while it’s disheartening to see snow so late in the season, it’s not unusual. Winter had already brought more snow than normal to northern New England.

Portland, Maine, recorded 84.4 inches of snow, 2 feet above normal for the city; Concord, N.H., had 73.8 inches, about 15 inches above normal.

In southern New England, the first day of April came in with a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain, but most accumulation was expected to fade away quickly as more spring-like temperatures were predicted to warm up the region.

Saturday, snow-related crashes were reported on the Maine Turnpike and, in New Hampshire, a loaded tractor-trailer rolled over on Interstate 95 in Hampton, blocking three lanes. The 34-year-old driver, a resident of Chelsea, Mass., was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.