Maine is in the midst of the latest winter storm, causing slippery conditions on roads, prompting the closure of offices and schools and causing two deaths on the Maine Turnpike this morning.

At 6:05 a.m. Thursday, a tractor trailer driven by a New York City man headed north on the highway in Wells went through the guardrail into the southbound lane, according to Maine State Police. The tractor trailer struck a Cadillac sedan driven by Linda Huelsman, 64, of Kennebunk, and a Mack box truck driven by Brian Ellis, 55, of Kittery.

"Weather conditions are believed to be a factor in the crash," police said in a statement.

Police said Huelsman died at the scene and Ellis later died at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. The tractor trailer's driver, Xiaoying Ma, 35, of New York City, was taken to York Hospital with non-life-threatning injuries.

Traffic was diverted off the southbound side of the highway at Exit 19 while police investigate the crash.

“Folks need to monitor their local forecast because snowfall totals will vary across the state and some areas may experience freezing rain,” said Vanessa Sperrey, a spokesperson for the Maine Emergency Management Agency, told Spectrum News on Wednesday.

Spectrum News meteorologists expected snowfall to continue throughout the day.

School districts throughout Maine canceled classes, including districts in Fort Kent, Bangor, Lewiston, Portland and Sanford.

Gov. Janet Mills closed all state offices today.

“Please check on elderly neighbors who might need help shoveling snow, and if you need to drive, always give room to first responders and plow truck drivers working to keep Maine people safe,” Mills said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.

The Department of Transportation's New England 511 traffic website shows that speeds on I-95 and I-295 were reduced to 45 mph.

As of 9 a.m., neither Central Maine Power nor Versant Power were reporting any outages. By early afternoon, CMP was reporting over 1,500 outages in southern Maine.

CMP spokesperson Dustin Wlodkowski tells Spectrum News that extra crews had been staffed at service centers to tackle any outages.

Wlodkowski also says CMP's preparation for storms like this one begin well before the first snowflake hits the ground.

“Storm prep is really a long-term effort on our part to make sure the grid is prepared for not just extreme storms but everyday reliability. So we have different initiatives like installing fiberglass cross-arms. Those are a different composite material that’s more water resistant than material used in the past," said Wlodkowski. "We’re installing thicker utility poles as we go along and replace poles.”

The National Weather Service predicted that all of Maine will experience wintry conditions that could cause low visibility and make roads slippery, according to the governor’s office.

A foot of snow was predicted to hit northern Maine.

“The Maine Emergency Management Agency is closely coordinating with the Maine Department of Transportation, Maine’s electric utilities, and local emergency management partners to monitor the storm and keep Maine people safe,” according to the governor’s office.

The Maine Emergency Management agency asks that people check outdoor vents around their homes and remove snow as it accumulates to prevent blockages, and to make sure at least two exits in the home are clear of snow.

MEMA also says people should consider the following tips:

• Never warm up a vehicle in an enclosed area such as a garage to avoid Carbon Monoxide poisoning 
• Make sure tires are properly inflated and in good condition 
• Check windshield wiper fluid 
• Ensure the vehicle is clear of all ice and snow 
• Never mix radial tires with other types of tires 
• Keep your gas tank at least half full to avoid the gas line freezing up or running out of gas and becoming stranded 
• Bring a fully charged cell phone with roadside assistance numbers programmed in your contacts
• If you become stranded in your vehicle, stay with the vehicle, and tie a brightly colored cloth to the antenna or use other distress signals
• Run the engine and heater just long enough to remove chill to conserve gas 

MEMA offers a list of warming centers offered by different municipalities, which can be found on their webpage.

The Maine Department of Transportation asks motorists to leave room for plow trucks and move over for first responders, disabled vehicles and crews working on power lines.

This is a developing story.

As severe storms are expected throughout area, some residents may be left without power. Below are outage maps and power company contact numbers to help get the information you need.

Always assume that a downed power line is energized and move away to safety. While some energized wires spark and snap, others may not appear dangerous.

Central Maine Power Outage Map

Versant Power