Christopher Crosby

BRINK— Lillian, poised teetering at the edge of a snow pile.

By Christopher Crosby

AREA— Like clockwork, winter storms seem to be piling the snow and cold around most parts of Maine.

State-wide, the recent bout of heavy snowfall and cold winds have set three-year cold-weather records, with the National Weather Service predicting temperatures plummeting to 45 degrees below zero in the northern part of the state.

While less severe, Oxford County has experienced its share of the pain, with daily high temperatures staying below the double digits and at night dropping as low as 21 below zero, as they did Jan 3.

Around town, the weather is met with a mixture of pain and joy: SAD 17 granted students a snow day Jan. 2, and while they may have relished the day off, commutes were prolonged, stressful, arduous treks for many.

Christopher Crosby

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS— The harsh conditions weren’t a bother for Isaiah, who enjoyed a day off from school to shovel an elementary student-sized hill to sled down

Monday’s high brought a 60-degree temperature reversal: 47 degrees in Norway on Jan. 6, which brought heavy rain. Banked by snow, the rain couldn’t drain into culverts or ditches and in many spots it accumulated in large puddles.

Monday night brought freezing temperatures again, and, of course, everything froze.

Christopher Crosby

CLASSIC NEW ENGLAND— Settled amidst the snow, this red barn in Paris provides the perfect aesthetic backdrop for heavy snowfall.

Christopher Crosby

COLD START— William Miller, Norway, was unable to start his truck in the cold Jan. 2 weather. His solution was to run an extension cord connected the unresponsive battery to an interior wall outlet.

Christopher Crosby

RESILIENT— Local business weren’t daunted by the cold temperatures and school closures.