CARIBOU, Maine — A soaking rain that is forecast to make for a wet Christmas, not a white one, is expected to start as freezing rain in northern and western counties, according to the National Weather Service.
With freezing rain expected to fall late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, Somerset, Penobscot, Aroostook, Piscataquis, Oxford and Franklin counties were under a freezing rain advisory, according to the weather service’s website.
The alerts were expected to remain in effect through Wednesday afternoon, when the precipitation was expected to change to rain, according to the weather service. Up to a tenth of an inch of ice is expected in some spots.
Flooding was not out of the question as a combination of soaking rain, melting snow, high winds and unseasonably high temperatures — in the 50-degree range — were expected to move into Maine late Wednesday into Christmas Day.
Temperatures, however, were expected to dip to freezing by Thursday night.
As of Tuesday night, a flood watch was in effect for eastern, central and western Maine through Thursday afternoon and evening.
Forecasters said that as much as 3 inches of rain could fall by midday Christmas. That, combined with a melting snowpack, could cause the flooding of streams and tributaries of main stem rivers across a part of east central Maine and across interior Down East as well as in western Maine, forecasters said.
Ice movement was likely across far northern Maine and could lead to additional ice jams and the potential for flooding, the weather service’s Caribou office said.
High winds were expected, especially on Christmas Day, with gusts of 30 to 45 mph for coastal Down East areas and 25 to 35 mph across the rest of the region expected. The strong wind could lead to isolated power outages.
The forecast storm already was causing holiday travel headaches, as the state’s two major airports reported canceled flights.
“All others are running on time and are slated to be on time,” Bangor International Airport director Tony Caruso said.
Caruso on Tuesday advised passengers to check with airlines and travel agents before arriving at the airport and to check the airport’s flight tracker for any changes. Passengers should plan on arriving two hours before a departure.
In addition, passengers should not wrap gifts before arriving at the airport due to the possibility of having to unwrap them at security checkpoints.
The city of Bangor announced Tuesday afternoon that Kenduskeag Plaza would close at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday afternoon because of flooding concerns.
The Coast Guard also urged mariners to use precautions in preparation for the heavy rain.
Due to higher than normal tides, owners of small boats, kayaks and other paddle craft were advised to secure them properly.
Boaters should have life jackets aboard and a way to contact the Coast Guard should an emergency come up.
Utility crews are monitoring the weather.
Emera Maine personnel were placed on standby starting Wednesday should a throng of power outages occur during the holidays, a company official said Tuesday.
“We are thankful that heavy snow isn’t expected this time around,” Rick Manning, director of Transmission Initiatives for Emera Maine, said Tuesday in a news release.
“But strong winds in the forecast always cause us to take notice and place extra people on standby. In addition, some areas may see icing, so the potential for outages exists and, as always, we work to be as prepared as we can be up front,” Manning said.
If forecasts hold true, this will be the fifth major holiday in just over a year during which severe weather has affected Emera Maine customers and utility workers, Manning said.
In the past 13 months, Maine has been hit by major storms on Thanksgiving and Christmas in 2013, Hurricane Arthur on July Fourth and a major snowstorm last November right before Thanksgiving, he said.
“We are hoping that Santa intervenes this week so that our customers will be spared outages, and our employees will be able to spend time at home with their families,” Manning said.
BDN writer Dawn Gagnon contributed to this report.
