PORTLAND, Maine — A major snowstorm is brewing in New England just in time for April Fools’ Day. And it’s no laughing matter for the region’s winter-weary residents.

The Atlantic coastal storm is going to bring heavy, wet snow to Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire starting today and continuing through Saturday afternoon, raising the prospect of widespread power outages.

It’s a bitter pill for folks who are tired of shoveling snow — and pining for the arrival of songbirds, crocuses and warmth.

Hilly terrain in southwestern New Hampshire could see up to 18 inches of snow; parts of southern and western Maine could see a foot, said meteorologist Tom Hawley from the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine.

Parts of Massachusetts and Vermont also could see heavy snow, while the coastline is expected to be spared from big accumulations.

April snow is not unusual in these parts. The record for Maine was 15 inches on April 10, 1906, and 14 inches fell on April 6, 1982.