Gusts up to 50 mph will buffet Maine this week as Hurricane Fiona barrels down on the Canadian Maritimes.
The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the entire state ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Fiona will begin lurching toward Nova Scotia late Thursday night and move out of the area toward Greenland and the Arctic by Saturday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Despite maintaining its distance from Maine, Fiona still will send gusty northwest winds our way, and those are expected to produce gusts up to 50 mph from the immediate coast all the way up to Fort Kent, according to the weather service’s Caribou office.
Those gusts will weaken somewhat over the remote woods near the state’s border with Quebec, with winds topping out around 40 mph.
The high winds have prompted the weather service to warn about the potential for downed tree branches and power outages.
Versant Power said Thursday it was preparing for potential outages stemming from Fiona’s winds.
“We are closely monitoring the weather and working to ensure we have field crews positioned to address public safety issues, begin assessing any damage, and make repairs if winds and falling trees cause damage to the electrical system,” said Judy Long, storm manager for Versant Power. “High winds can bring down trees and limbs onto roads and power lines, and it is never safe to touch a downed lined or a tree in contact with a downed line.”
Maine is currently not forecast to see much rain from the storm.