The sounds of whistling wind, the boom of transforms blowing and near constant sirens filled the air Monday as a high-wind storm hit the state.
More than 400,000 Mainers have been left without power, and two people are known to have died as a result of the storm — a Windham man who was struck by a falling branch while trying to clear debris from his roof, and a Fairfield man who was struck by a storm-downed tree while trying to move it with a tractor.
Flood waters closed highways indefinitely and “blocked” the town of Farmington from all directions, according to the fire department there.
As of 8:27 p.m., CMP was reporting 332,497 outages across its service area, or just under half of its customers. Versant Power was reporting 78,866 outages, or about 47 percent.
CMP spokesperson Jon Breed said Monday afternoon that high winds were preventing crews from using bucket trucks to repair lines.
“As winds subside, we will work to restore power to our customers as quickly and as safely as possible until all customers are restored,” Breed said.
The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for much of coastal Maine as well as the interior, while a wind advisory has been issued for northern Maine. Those advisories remain in place until 1 a.m. Tuesday.
The storm seemed to catch many Mainers off guard, who weren’t prepared for how powerful and destructive Monday’s storm would be. The gusts of wind are strong enough to shake cars, twist road signs and knock trees over. Trash cans were blown over and down the streets, strewing trash bags and litter in their wake.
The roof of a semitrailer was blown off on I-95 near Clinton, the Maine Department of Public Safety said. Speeds on the interstates are reduced because of the heavy rain and possibility of hydroplaning.
One airplane came unsecured from its tie down during the storm, leading to heavy damage to two planes at the Robert LaFleur Airport in Waterville, manager Randy Marshall said. Both planes came to rest on their wings.
No airplanes came unsecured at the state’s biggesapt airport, Portland International Jetport, according to a spokesperson. But data collected by FlightAware shows that seven outgoing flights were canceled and another 10 were delayed as of 3 p.m. Monday. At Bangor International Airport, the National Weather Service reported a peak wind gust of 68 mph at about 1 p.m.
Wind reaching speeds as high as 65 to 70 mph along the coast from Bar Harbor to Eastport. Those winds will be as strong inland, where Greater Bangor is expected to see gusts up to 55 to 60 mph, with similar gusts forecast all the way up to the crown of Maine, according to the weather service office in Caribou.
The University of Maine closed campus at 1 p.m., saying only essential employees should be on campus. Husson University closed its campus at 2:30 p.m. Both schools will reopen Tuesday.
Scaffolding collapsed on the Cross Office building in Augusta amid the storm. The state government offices closed at 1 p.m. to give state workers time to get home safely, a spokesperson said.
“I have directed the early closure of State of Maine offices to allow State employees to commute home before dark,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement. “With the storm expected to grow stronger in the coming hours, I encourage all Maine people to be safe and vigilant and to exercise caution when traveling.”
The storm is expected to drop a significant amount of rain across the state. Forecasters anticipate that up to 2 to 3 inches of rain will fall over Greater Bangor, while up to 1.5 to 2 inches are forecast from Bar Harbor to Eastport, according to the Caribou weather station.
To the north, the forecast calls for up to 1.5 to 2 inches around Houlton and 1 to 1.5 inches from Caribou to the St. John Valley.
Parts of southern and western Maine could see even more rainfall before the storm eventually leaves the area.
The area from Rangeley to Rumford could see as much as 4 inches of rain, prompting the weather service to issue a flash flood warning for the area.
Meanwhile, Belfast is expected to see up to 2 to 3 inches of rain, Rockland 1.5 to 2 inches and Portland 1.5 to 2 inches, according to the weather service station in Gray.
The impact on roads varied along the coast. In Lincoln County, more than 70 were closed as of 3 p.m., all blocked by fallen trees or power lines, according to Lincoln County Emergency Management Agency Director Maury Prentiss. Prentiss said there was even an instance in Somerville where a tree went through a woman’s car windshield, causing her minor injuries.
However, in Knox County, EMA Director Tim McFarland was only aware of three roads being closed, all in the town of Hope.
All the rain from Monday’s storm is increasing the likelihood of widespread power outages given that the soil is already saturated with water from recent storms, Central Maine Power Co. spokesperson Jon Breed warned Sunday.
“Our service centers, tree crews and lineworkers will be prestaging across our service area overnight and will be prepared to respond to any storm damage that may occur,” Breed said.
The outages have affected some schools, including Mildred L. Day School in Arundel, which began sending students home at 10 a.m. after power was knocked out there, according to a RSU 21 spokesperson.
The Ellsworth School Department closed Ellsworth Elementary Middle School on Tuesday after part of the roof was blown off by the storm.
Cruise ship MSC Meraviglia was supposed to travel to Florida and the Bahamas from New York City but headed north to Boston to avoid the storm and planned to continue north to Portland and beyond. Passengers received a letter from the company about the change of plans:
“To ensure the safety and well-being of everyone onboard, we will sail to New England and Canada instead, where we expect to encounter fairer weather conditions that will allow us to offer the pleasant cruise experience that you expect.”
BDN writers Ethan Andrews and Jules Walkup contributed to this story. Walkup is a Report for America corps member. Additional support for this reporting is provided by BDN readers.