Wednesday, January 18, 2006, 9:45 am: Good morning Maine and the rest of the world. We are expecting freezing rain, sleet and high winds this afternoon. We’ve stockpiled some firewood inside the house so we don’t have to negotiate slippery paths in the snow later today or tomorrow. We canceled our weekly drive into Presque Isle for provisions.

We were in New Brunswick yesterday, and the Trans-Canada Highway was generally clear with only a few patches of ice. Expecting to see some ice built up on the Saint John River, I brought along my new digital camera for some dramatic photographs. Unfortunately it was just a normal frozen river and not very photogenic -- maybe another day.

As I write this weather blog, the snow has started to turn into freezing rain and ice pellets. It’s a good day to stay inside, eat cheesecake and sip espresso. To view our weather please click here. It is updated every 15 minutes throughout the day.

Current value from our Vantage-Pro weather station:

Temperature: 23 degrees F.

Barometer: 30.02 and falling rapidly

Humidity: 86%

Winds: SE at 12 mph and gusty

Precipitation: Freezing rain and ice pellets

Visibility: < 1 mile

Low temp. since midnight: 7.9 degrees F. at 12:19 am

High wind today: 16 mph at 8:25 am

Lots of white in winter Maine