AUGUSTA -- Central Maine Power Co. is bracing for another round of winter storms even as line crews from Maine and as far away as Michigan today completed the job of reconnecting customers who lost electricity because of last week's ice storm.

A storm that's expected to arrive Friday afternoon will leave up to 4 inches of snow in the southern part of the state, where the National Weather Service posted winter storm watches, and taper off farther north.

After a quiet Saturday, a more potent storm is due to arrive Sunday afternoon, with accumulations of around a foot in interior portions of the state and a few inches less along the coast.

"I think a large portion of the state could see a very significant accumulation," Tom Hawley of the weather service said today. The storm will be accompanied by high winds, especially as it moves out Monday, said Hawley.

The weather service said another batch of moisture will arrive for next Wednesday, just ahead of the Christmas holiday.

At its peak, the ice storm that began last week put 220,000
CMP customers in the dark, and line workers were on the job for six days to repair damage caused by fallen trees and limbs. CMP said line crews completed the job this morning.

The most difficult part of the restoration process came toward the end when utility crews reached dwellings on remote side roads and on camp roads near lakes and ponds.

Utility crews from other states and Canada came to Maine to help restore service, but with the final hookups today they were sent back home, said CMP spokeswoman Gail Rice.