FORT KENT, Maine — Santa may well be slipping and sliding into the state as much of Maine from Portland to the St. John Valley is under a freezing rain advisory while a large area in Down East and central Maine is under a flood watch for Christmas Eve.
According to the National Weather Services office in Caribou, a freezing rain advisory is in effect in northern Somerset, Piscataquis, Penobscot and Aroostook counties, from Baker Lake to Guilford, through noon Christmas Eve. Anywhere from a trace to a tenth of an inch of ice was expected.
The freezing rain advisory will remain in effect through 4 p.m. in northwest and southern Aroostook County from Allagash down to Mars Hill where a tenth of an inch of ice is expected with areas in higher elevations getting higher amounts.
Rainfall of up to 2 inches starting Christmas Eve through Christmas Day could combine with melting snow to create flooding conditions in rivers and streams in central and Down East Maine, according to the weather service.
There is also the possibility of localized flooding in northern Maine because of rain and ice jams on some rivers.
The potential for coastal high winds and heavy rain prompted officials at Acadia National Park to close down Black Woods Campground on Wednesday morning through Christmas Day.
According to park staff, officials will look at reopening the campground Friday, depending on the weather.
Weather was not affecting flights in and out of Bangor International Airport on Wednesday morning and all scheduled flights were on time, according to Gene Foren, chief dispatcher at the airport.
“Everything is going as planned,” Foren said.
Emera Maine personnel were placed on standby starting Wednesday should 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.
