BANGOR, Maine — Christmas could well bring an unwanted gift today in the form of high winds, especially on the coast.
The National Weather Service in Caribou late Wednesday afternoon issued a high-wind warning for the coastal areas of Hancock and Washington counties, where wind gusts of up to 60 mph were expected along with sustained winds of 25 to 35 mph. The high wind warning was to be in effect from midnight to 4 p.m. today.
The warning area included Blue Hill, Ellsworth, Bar Harbor, Cherryfield, Machias and Eastport.
A separate storm warning was in effect through this afternoon for coastal waters from Stonington to Eastport and 25 nautical miles out to sea, where sustained winds of 30 to 40 knots (17-29 mph) and gusts up to 50 knots (about 58 mph) were expected today. Seas were to build up to 17 feet early Christmas Day. Intracoastal wa-ters from Schoodic Point to Stonington were also under a warning.
The weather service warned there was a likelihood of some wind damage, with large branches and trees being blown down. Minor structural damage to shingles or siding on buildings is also possible, and significant power outages are likely.
Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. spent Wednesday lining up field crews and customer service center staff in anticipation of the high winds. The company’s customer service center will be staffed through the holiday as long as power outages remain. Customers on private roads are asked to make sure the roads are passable to avoid safety problems with Bangor Hydro trucks.
“We know customers want to enjoy Christmas without power outages,” said Bangor Hydro spokeswoman Susan Faloon in a news release. “We also want to get our crews home safe and sound to their families to enjoy the holiday, so [the crews will] work as quickly and safely as possible.”
The rest of the state was placed under a winter weather advisory until early today. An intense low pressure front tracking north of New England was expected to produce a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain, according to the weather service. Snow accumulations could be 1 to 3 inches with around one-tenth of an inch of ice.
A dusting of snow and warmer weather Wednesday morning and afternoon created icy, slushy roads that caused scattered motor vehicle accidents in the Bangor area. The Bangor Police Department didn’t report any serious injuries. State police dealt with a few accidents Wednesday evening on Interstate 95 north of Bangor, but none were reported as serious.
No delays were reported at Bangor International Airport as of Wednesday evening.
The weather probably won’t make ice on Maine’s waterways any safer for recreation activities during the holiday. The state Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife warned people not to venture out on lakes and ponds that appear to be iced-in.
“In most cases the ice is still not safe for vehicles and snowmobiles,” IF&W spokeswoman Deborah Turcotte said Wednesday. “The snow we had is acting as insulation on lakes and ponds, thus slowing the icing process. We’re telling people they need to check the ice before they go out.”
DIF&W recommends people not to walk on ice until it has reached a thickness of at least 8 inches.
The weather pattern in the days before Christmas swelled the ranks of shoppers in Maine, said Bangor Mall general manager James Gerety.
“All and all, it’s not as good as last year, but it surged in the last few days,” he said.
The Christmas Spirit Shop in Bar Harbor was busy with last-minute shoppers on Christmas Eve, said owner Pete Bono. The shop, which specializes in crafts by American artists, is open from May to Christmas and also does a mail order business, Bono said. The walk-in business seemed better than the Web side of business this year, he said.
“I haven’t had a day off since Thanksgiving,” said Bono, who was working 90 to 100 hours a week leading into the holiday. “We’re very pleased with the way things went this season, but we’re very tired.”
In South Bristol, the Unique Yankee Inn of Christmas Cove was three-quarters full on Christmas Eve and getting ready for a full house in the days leading up to New Year’s, said owner Richard Munson. Using some Yankee ingenuity, Munson makes the energy crisis pay by throwing in seminars on home weatherization for his inn’s guests.
For ice safety tips from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, go to http://www.maine.gov/ifw/news_events/pressreleases/11-24-08.htm
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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