A storm that caused havoc in the South brought wacky weather to northern New England on Thursday with thick fog, heavy rain, record warmth, ice jams and wind gusts topping 70 mph that caused numerous power outages. It was capped off with a pendulum swing back to colder temperatures today.
Across northern New England, powerful wind gusts knocked out electricity for more than 100,000 homes and businesses, mostly in Maine, while warm temperatures and heavy rainfall caused ice jams on many rivers, threatening a number of communities, including Montpelier, Vt.
Several ski areas shut down for the day because of rain, or strong winds, or both.
The wind gusted to 63 mph in Bath, 54 mph in Augusta and 49 mph at the Portland International Jetport.
Offshore, the wind hit 60 mph at New Hampshire’s Isles of Shoals and 74 mph at Maine’s Matinicus Rock.
“That’s natural for us,” said Wanda Philbrook, post master on Matinicus Island, which is 20 miles off the coast. “It’s just another day in paradise.”
Central Maine Power Company reported more than 90,000 accounts lost power at some point during the storm.
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