High Wind in Interior Washington, Maine

Low pressure tracking across New England rapidly intensified over the Gulf of Maine during the morning of the 14th...then lifted quickly into the Maritime Provinces. In its wake...high pressure began building across the region producing a very tight pressure gradient. Strong west/northwest winds developed across the region in the wake of the exiting low. Sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph (20 to 30 kt) were common across all of Northern and Eastern Maine...with wind gusts in excess of 50 mph (43 kt) over land. The peak wind reported over land was 54 mph (47 kts) at Greenville in Southern Piscataquis County. Even stronger winds were reported over the Gulf of Maine where winds gusted between 60 and 70 mph (50 to 60 kts). Numerous tree limbs were snapped off regionwide...along with several trees entirely uprooted. At least 4 trees were uprooted around the community of East Millinocket. One tree fell against a house damaging the roof and siding. Another tree toppled across Grindstone Road...near East Millinocket...closing it for a time. Trees were also toppled in the Bangor and Plymouth areas of Southern Penobscot County. The winds and falling trees damaged the roof and siding of several structures in these areas as well. The falling trees...branches and strong winds combined to bring down many power lines and utility poles. Power outages were reported regionwide. The entire city of Brewer lost power for a time during the afternoon of the 14th. At various times...nearly 5500 people were without power in the Dover-Foxcroft area and nearly 7000 were without power in the area from Milo...to Lincoln...to Orono. Extensive power outages were also reported in the Moosehead Lake Region of Piscataquis County. The strong winds helped usher colder air across the region...turning the precipitation to snow over the mountains and northern areas. Snowfall totals of 1 to 3 inches were reported across Northeast Maine...with up to 6 inches reported over the higher terrain of Piscataquis County and the Allagash Wilderness Area.