PORTLAND, Maine — We just got slammed by a powerful spring storm. The heavy rain and gusty winds are shifting away, but they've left behind flooded roads and thousands of power outages.
Inches of rain fell in many towns, about a month's worth in less than 24 hours. There's even a "5-inch club," which includes Shapleigh, Belmont, and Readfield. Here's a link to the National Weather Service and the complete rainfall totals list.
Flash flooding is occurring on many small streams in southern and western Maine. These will recede quickly after the rain stops, but there are numerous roads closed until they do. There may even be some washed out culverts that need repair before all roads can reopen.
Larger rivers are on the rise Monday morning and won't crest until later Monday night. Some may have problems with flooding in low-lying areas, parking lots, and adjacent roads.
At present time, the greatest concern for flooding is the Kennebec River, along Front and Water Streets in Augusta and Hallowell.
While there aren't many leaves on trees yet, power outages still approached 50,000 at the height of the wind. Now that the ground has thawed and is no longer frozen, the threshold for outages has dropped a bit, especially with a saturated root ball and root system from the heavy rain. Here's a list of wind reports from the National Weather Service. As the low-level jet passes, the window for power outages will close fast. The worst is now over.
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