Stormy weather spread heavy rain, wind and cold air across parts of New England on Saturday, with snow at some higher elevations, while high wind whistled across parts of the northern Plains. A strong low pressure system over the southern New England coast spread rain over much of the region during the night and into Saturday morning. During the six hours up to 2 p.m. EDT, 1.70 inches of rain fell at Brunswick, Maine; with 1.50 at Portland, Maine; and 1.05 inches at Portsmouth, N.H. Colder air poured in behind the low and changed the rain to wet snow over parts of south-central and northeastern New York state and over most of Vermont. Up to 10 inches of snow accumulated at higher elevations of Tompkins County in New York's southern tier. Six to 8 inches of snow was measured across Schuyler County, and Ithaca got 5 inches. The heavy, wet snow in Tompkins County downed several trees and power lines, and at 3 p.m. about half the county was without electricity, said Julie Morehouse, a spokeswoman for the county sheriff's department. In Cortland, N.Y., deputies said downed poles and power lines caused widespread blackouts and roads were slippery and thick with slush. Auburn, N.Y., asked Rochester for emergency generators to provide temporary electricity while utility crews worked to restore service. The New England coast was battered by strong wind, with gusts to near 60 mph at Bar Harbor, Maine, during the afternoon. Strong wind and heavy rain knocked down power lines in parts of Maine, and Central Maine Power Co. spokesman Clark Irwin said an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 customers were blacked out in the Portland area alone. At Bath, Maine, the scheduled launching of a new Aegis cruiser was postponed at Bath Iron Works, the first launching to be put off since 1967. Snow was also reported over the higher elevations of southern West Virginia. Showers were widely scattered from the lower Great Lakes into the mid Atlantic Coast. Strong, gusty wind blew over the northern Rockies and northern high Plains behind a cold front moving across the northern Plains, and a few showers developed over central Montana. Gusts to near 60 mph were recorded at Rapid City, S.D., and to 52 mph at Wheatridge, Colo. While the Northeast had snow and cold, the central high Plains had temperatures in the 80s over northwestern Kansas and eastern Colorado. Readings also hit the 80s over much of southern and central Texas, extreme southern Florida and the desert Southwest. In Central America, Hurricane Joan was downgraded to a tropical storm after moving across Nicaragua, causing several deaths and considerable damage. Temperatures around the nation at 3 p.m. EDT ranged from 32 degrees at Binghamton and Saranac Lake, N.Y., to 98 at Palm Springs, Calif. Saturday morning's low for the 48 states was 11 degrees at Gunnison, Colo. For Sunday, widespread rain was forecast from the Great Lakes through the middle Mississippi valley and the lower Ohio and Tennessee valleys into eastern Texas and the lower Mississippi Valley. Rain changing to snow was forecast over northern Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. Scattered rain was forecast over the eastern Great Lakes and northern Maine. Highs only in the 30s were predicted over northern Minnesota; in the 40s from the northern Plains through the upper Mississippi Valley into northern New England; in the 70s and 80s from the Pacific Coast through the Great Basin of Nevada and western Utah, the southern Rockies, much of Texas and the Gulf Coast states into the southern Atlantic Coast and Florida; in the low to mid 90s over north-central California and the desert Southwest; and in the 50s or 60s across much of the rest of the nation.
