An ocean storm was backing into northern New England on Saturday, and forecasters said it will likely stick around through the weekend.

It's expected to bringing bursts of heavy snow to Maine and the mountains of Vermont and New Hampshire, with accumulations up to a foot and a half in places.

Meteorologist David Glenn said most storms approach the area from the south, but because this one is coming in from the east, it will likely hang around longer.

The snow was expected to increase in intensity throughout the day and so were the winds. Forecasts called for gusts up to 45 mph Saturday night that could create drifting snow, while coastal areas were seeing higher tides than normal and could get some flooding.

However, some ski resort operators were happy about the storm after a rainy start to the holiday season.

Source: The Associated Press