Power Outage in Portland, ME

NWS staff member reported trees and power lines down on Mountain Road.

Severe thunderstorm outflow wind gusts downed a tree across Dale Lane onto a powerline in North Windham, Maine.

A severe thunderstorm downed a tree onto power lines in Intervale.

A severe thunderstorm downed trees and power lines in North Windham.

A severe thunderstorm snapped power poles on the causeway to Mackworth Island.

A tornado touched down at the Shawnee Peak ski resort and traveled northeast across the Route 302 causeway to the eastern shore of Moose Pond. ||The first visible damage was on the mountain at Shawnee Peak ski resort near Tycoon and Upper Roosevelt trails where several large trees were snapped and uprooted. Additional damage was noted just to the southeast of the parking lot near the intersection of Jaks Way and Mountain Road. The tornado then moved across Moose Pond, crossing the causeway of Route 302. Multiple power poles were blown over on the causeway. Additional sporadic tree damage was noted along the eastern shore of Moose Pond consistent with a tornado track. This damage included an uprooted tree that damaged a dock. The tornado likely lifted off the ground shortly after reaching the eastern shore of Moose Pond. A motorist on Rt. 302 and several residents on the eastern shore of Moose Pond observed the tornado as it crossed Moose Pond and the Route 302 causeway.||This tornado was rated as an EF1 with winds up to 100 mph based on snapped large hardwood and softwood trees along the path, as well as power poles along the causeway leaning due to the wind.

A tornado touched down at the Shawnee Peak ski resort and traveled northeast across the Route 302 causeway to the eastern shore of Moose Pond. ||The first visible damage was on the mountain at Shawnee Peak ski resort near Tycoon and Upper Roosevelt trails where several large trees were snapped and uprooted. Additional damage was noted just to the southeast of the parking lot near the intersection of Jaks Way and Mountain Road. The tornado then moved across Moose Pond, crossing the causeway of Route 302. Multiple power poles were blown over on the causeway. Additional sporadic tree damage was noted along the eastern shore of Moose Pond consistent with a tornado track. This damage included an uprooted tree that damaged a dock. The tornado likely lifted off the ground shortly after reaching the eastern shore of Moose Pond. A motorist on Rt. 302 and several residents on the eastern shore of Moose Pond observed the tornado as it crossed Moose Pond and the Route 302 causeway.||This tornado was rated as an EF1 with winds up to 100 mph based on snapped large hardwood and softwood trees along the path, as well as power poles along the causeway leaning due to the wind.

A severe thunderstorm downed trees and power lines in Brunswick.

A severe thunderstorm downed power lines in Portland.

A severe thunderstorm downed trees and power lines on Brook Street and also downed a tree on a building on Peaks Island.

A severe thunderstorm downed trees throughout southern portions of Falmouth. One of the hardest hit areas was on and near Depot Road where falling trees downed wires and snapped four power poles. One man was trapped in his vehicle for a short time. About 1000 customers lost electrical service during the event. A greenhouse on Foreside road had substantial damage with windows blown out, and the suspended ceiling was damaged by the air pressure created by the wind when the windows broke. On Old Mill Road, a large tree fell on a vehicle.

A severe thunderstorm downed large branches and power lines in Harpswell Center.

A severe thunderstorm downed large limbs on power lines off Broadturn Road in Scarborough.

A severe thunderstorm downed large pines on power lines near North Windham.

A tornado touched down just west of East Webster Road in Buxton and then moved east into Gorham. The tornado produced a discontinuous path of damage through Gorham before lifting off the ground near the intersection of Routes 237 and 25. The tornado snapped or uprooted hundreds of trees along of its track. The most significant damage was observed near Route 202 where maximum winds were estimated at near 90 mph. The tornado was on the ground for about 5 miles, had a maximum width of about 350 yards, and was classified as an E-F1 based on the estimated wind speed. The tornado downed trees unto power lines, homes. and cars in the area and caused numerous power outages. In one instance, farm trailers were moved 50 to 75 feet by the tornado and sheds were destroyed. In Gorham...damage was noted along Finn Parker and Wood Roads...Lovers Lane...Kimball Road...Wentworth Drive...and Lawn and Libby Roads as well as Route 237.

A broad area of low pressure across the Great Lakes region stalled out well to the west of the region early on Sunday, April 30th. A secondary area of low pressure developed and moved up the Eastern Seaboard and tracked across interior New England from Sunday, April 30th through Monday, May 1st. Widespread heavy rainfall occurred, and flooding was enhanced for this weather event due to the seasonal timing of the rains with spring soils being high in moisture and vegetation still being dormant. These two factors lead to increased run-off. Rain started across southern and coastal areas early on Sunday April 30th, with the heaviest rainfall Sunday night into early Monday morning. The rainfall on Sunday produced limited flooding, but set the stage for what was to come by swelling rivers and filling ditches ahead of the heavier rain. Heavy rain started around 3 AM and continued through 10 AM Monday with rainfall rates between 1 to 1.5 inches an hour. This caused flooding to rapidly develop, resulting in widespread flash flooding. The rainfall ended by midday on Monday May 1st. Runoff spilled into tributary rivers and major rivers that led to ongoing flooding for the next several days with most rivers cresting late on Monday May 1st or on May 2nd. Public infrastructure impacts were widespread for the event with over $4.2 million in damage. Oxford and Androscoggin Counties reported the most monetary damage to roads for the event. ||Another aspect of the system was a period of strong gusty winds Sunday night that started along the coastline and extended inland causing localized power outages and tree damage. Wind gusts of 50 mph were recorded at the Portland Jetport, and gusts to near 50 mph were also recorded inland. Strongest wind gusts up to 65 mph were reported across the Mid-coast region. Power outages were reported due to a few downed trees and numerous snapped tree limbs.

Beginning on December 22nd a powerful storm was developing over the Ohio River Valley. On December 23rd the center of the storm was deepening rapidly (974mb) as it lifted through the eastern Great Lakes. While the center tracked into southern Ontario, high pressure retreated into the Canadian Maritimes creating a strong pressure gradient across the region. Strong southerly winds developed as a result, with speeds in excess of 80 knots at around 2,000 feet. Several rounds of strong to damaging wind gusts occurred, which brought widespread power outages to the region with upwards to 240,000 customers without power. ||Precipitation moved into southern Maine during the late evening hours of December 22, and moved across the remainder of the state into the early morning of December 23. Snow quickly changed over to rain on the night of December 22nd, with a changeover later in the mountains towards daybreak on December 23rd. The precipitation continued through the evening hours of December 23, then gradually ended from south to north early morning, December 24. Overland flooding was prevalent for areas where rainfall exceeded 2 inches. The impacts varied from standing water in fields to complete road washouts. The runoff exceeded capacity for most feeder creeks and rivers.||The rapidly deepening area of low pressure over the Great Lakes region combined with very high astronomical tides to produce the fourth highest storm tide ever in Portland. In addition, storm to hurricane force east to southeasterly winds occurred along the coast with nearshore waves of 15 to 20 feet coinciding during peak storm surge. Significant to major coastal damage occurred during the morning high tide cycle across the beaches and Mid-Coast of Maine.

A cold front dropping southward out of Quebec combined with a moist air mass over Maine to aid in the occurrence of southward moving thunderstorms during the afternoon hours. A few storms became severe downing trees and powerlines.

Strong heating ahead of an approaching cold front generated moderate to strong instability. Instability increased as the front neared and a large line formed ahead of the front... with numerous smaller cells forming out in front of the main line. Most severe reports were almost exclusively associated with wind damage as numerous trees and power lines were downed throughout the forecast area. In addition, lightning struck the lodge at Mt. Abram Ski Resort and ignited a fire that heavily damaged the lodge.

An area of low pressure over the southeastern United States on the morning of Sunday, April 15th, rapidly intensified as it slowly moved north to near New York City by the morning of Monday, April 16th. This intense low in combination with high pressure over eastern Canada produced Overview: An area of low pressure intensified rapidly as it moved slowly from the southeastern United States on the morning of Sunday, April 15th to near New York City by the morning of Monday, April 16th. The intense low over New York City in combination with high pressure over eastern Canada produced a very intense pressure gradient across the area which caused strong east to northeast winds to develop across the region. Over land, the strong winds downed numerous trees. The downed trees caused widespread power outages, especially near the coast, and numerous road closures. Over the marine areas, the strong winds caused a storm surge and large ocean waves of up to 30 feet to develop. The combination of astronomical high tides, storm surge, and large waves contributed to coastal flooding in coastal areas of the state and severe coastal erosion in areas south of Portland.|The storm also brought heavy rain to the region which, when combined with snow melt, produced widespread flooding across much of the region. The flooding of small rivers and streams was worst in southern and coastal areas and led to numerous road closures. In the mountains, the rain was preceded by heavy snow. Flooding was minor on most mainstem rivers, however, in southern Maine, the Presumpscot River reached near record levels. |The intense low drifted very slowly eastward from Monday morning through Friday morning as it gradually weakened. During this time, the pressure gradient slowly relaxed, the winds gradually diminished, and the seas slowly subsided. However, rain continued into Tuesday across the region and each high tide during the period brought a reoccurrence of coastal flooding and erosion to the area. Power outages persisted, and stream and river flooding continued across the region during this period. Many roads remained closed.|On Friday, April 20, high pressure built eastward from the Great Lakes ending the influence of the Atlantic storm. | |Wind: The pressure gradient associated with the storm brought high winds to the region. The damage observed in the hardest hit areas was typical of wind gusts of 60 to 80 mph. While most observing sites reported winds below this range, topography, elevation, and exposure were likely factors in determining the amount of wind damage any location experienced. In addition, the heavy rain brought strong wind gusts to the ground level and contributed to the sporadic nature of the heaviest wind damage. In addition to the meteorological factors, damage from the wind was exacerbated because of the heavy rain that accompanied the wind and the soft, wet ground caused by the spring thaw.|The wind knocked over numerous trees and branches throughout the region and caused numerous and prolonged power outages throughout the region.| |Coastal Flooding/Storm Surge/Waves: The coastal storm hit during a period of very high (and very low) astronomical tides. In addition to the astronomical tides, the prolonged period of strong northeast winds caused a prolonged storm surge along the coastline. Also during this period, the strong winds caused large and battering waves along the coast. The storm tides and large waves caused significant flooding and coastal erosion. |In Portland, flood level is 12 feet. During the storm, storm tides reached or exceeded the 12 foot flood level during 7 tidal cycles. In addition, due to the large waves, coastal erosion occurred throughout the week of April 15th to 20th when the Portland gauge was above or near the 12 foot flood level. Communication was lost with NOAA���s Portland Weather Buoy shortly after 6 am Monday when it was reporting 31 foot seas.|Precipitation: Rain developed across the southern part of the state early Sunday afternoon, April 15th and spread northward. The rain became heavy during the afternoon and overnight. By Monday morning, 3 to 7 inches of rain had fallen in York County with rainfall amounts decreasing to 1 to 4 inches to the north and east. In the mountains of Maine, 2 to 7 inches of snow fell by Monday morning. Although the heaviest precipitation fell from Sunday afternoon into Monday afternoon, precipitation persisted into Tuesday. Rainfall in Southern Maine was near the 100 year recurrence interval at Sanford and Eliot.|Flooding: The heavy rain combined with snow melt to cause flooding of small rivers and streams in much of southern and central Maine. The worst flooding occurred on the smaller rivers in York County. Damage to infrastructure was severe (roads, bridges, waste water treatment plants, public buildings). Homes and businesses were also damaged. In York County, two people were killed when they attempted to cross a flooded road on foot and were swepted away. The crest on the Presumpscot River was just below the crest recorded during Hurricane Bob in August of 1991.

Strong thunderstorms blew down numerous trees and power lines in Freeport on the evening of August 3.

Scattered thunderstorms moving through western and central Maine knocked down trees and power lines and lightning from the storms damaged buildings and caused several fires. Trees were reported down in Skowhegan, Fairfield, Chesterville, Cumberland, and Belmont. Lightning damaged structures in Limerick, Warren, Scarborough, Bath, China, and Industry. In Limerick, lightning ignited a fire in a vacant summer home causing the structure to burn to the ground. Homes in Industry, Scarborough and Bath were heavily damaged by fire, smoke, and water after being struck by lightning. Church steeples were struck and damaged by lightning in Warren and Bath.

A line of severe thunderstorms moving through Maine produced severe winds that downed trees and power lines throughout the western part of the state. About 30,000 customers lost electrical service during the storms. Trees were reported down in Oxford, Franklin, and York Counties. A small tornado touched down in the town of West Paris in Oxford County. In the town of Canton, a microburst ripped the roof off a 40 x 60 ft barn and carried it in the air more than 200 feet, landing in the tops of trees in a wooded area. Numerous trees were also uprooted. An exchange student drowned in Messalonskee Lake in Sidney when his canoe capsized and he attempted to swim the 75 yards to shore. A department store employee in Auburn was injured when he was struck by lightning as he covered up items outside. He was taken to a nearby hospital and later released. Lightning also struck homes in Windham, Sanford, and Alfred.

Thunderstorm winds knocked down numerous trees and branches in Portland and caused power outages that left about 6000 customers without electrical service.

A line of powerful thunderstorms moved southeastward across Maine during the late evening of the Fourth of July, providing natural fireworks to end the holiday. Several communities started their firework displays early in order to beat the storms; some were successful, some were not. Dozens of trees were downed by the wind along Route 35 between Harrison and Naples; wind gusts in the area were measured at 84 mph. Several homes and cars were damaged by falling trees. Witnesses also observed a funnel cloud which formed over Long Lake. In Otisfield, trees fell on the dining building and a cabin at a children's peace camp, causing an estimated $25,000-$35,000 in damage. In Bridgton, trees were reported down throughout the town, and a tree fell on a boy at Camp Wildwood; the boy was taken to a nearby hospital. Trees were also reported down in Poland, Mechanic Falls, Topsham, Wiscasset, and in Union. Statewide, Central Maine Power Company said that about 12,000 customers lost power from the storms.