With ice still coating trees and power lines, a wet, heavy accumulation may be the last thing beleaguered line workers need.

As of Sunday evening, CMP was reporting 725 customers without power. Bangor Hydro was reporting 683; with many of those the cause was listed as “under investigation.”

In an Associated Press story, Bangor Hydro spokeswoman Susan Faloon said, “On any other day that number might not seem quite so worrisome, but people are cold, tired and frustrated. And now we have this storm looming over us.”

According to the AP article, Faloon said some customers won’t have power restored until Wednesday. Most are in Hancock County, which she described as “a huge mess.”

Snow arrived in the Lewiston area shortly after 6 p.m. Sunday. WGME was still predicting between six and 12 inches for almost all of Androscoggin County and parts of Oxford and Franklin counties.

WGME characterized this as a “fast-moving storm” that will end early Monday morning with snow falling at a rate of one to two inches an hour. The forecast also calls for frigid temperatures on the heels of the storm, followed by another storm approaching for Thursday.

Michael Cempa, senior meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Gray, said that the majority of the snow will fall before midnight Sunday.

According to Cempa, Lovell in Oxford County was already reporting three inches as of 7 p.m. Sunday. In contrast, he said, at the coast rain is “eating away at their snow accumulations.”

Cempa said a band stretching from along Bridgton, northern Androscoggin County and southern Oxford County, on to Augusta and Waterville will see the highest amounts — about 10 inches.

Along with storm data, Cempa had a warning for potential revellers this Tuesday night, “New Year’s Eve is going to be cold,” with temperatures from single digits to below zero.

The city of Auburn has issued a parking ban for 11 p.m. Sunday until 3 p.m. Monday. Lewiston issued a parking ban from 5 p.m. Sunday until 8 a.m. Monday.

dmcintire@sunjournal.com