PORTLAND, Maine — After a very impactful storm earlier this week, we're in for some deja vu today.
This storm looks eerily similar to our last one. An "inside runner," meaning the center of low pressure is to our west, which leaves us in a bad spot. Uninhibited southeast winds over the water, more rain on saturated ground, and more storm surge.
The difference is that this storm is a little weaker than our last and takes place during more daylight hours than the last storm, which occurred mostly overnight.
The rain snow line will gradually move to the north as we head through the morning and afternoon. This will melt away any of the snow that many people receive outside of the mountains.
By the afternoon the same continues: the rain snow line moves farther north and weakens.
The storm being marginally weaker is a bit of a silver lining, but that doesn't mean we won't see damage from this storm.
Slightly lower wind speeds (50-55 mph as opposed to 60-65 mph) and slightly less rain (1-1.5 inches as opposed to 1.5-2 inches) means our impacts like power outages and inland/urban flooding should be slightly lower than Wednesday's storm.
I do, however, think this storm being so close after our last one does increase the impact a bit.
The winds really play into our next concern: coastal flooding. The high winds out of the SE are going to push water onto the coast which contributes to the storm surge.
The entire coastline is at risk for coastal flooding today.
Why is this? High tide takes place around noon today, but it is also the highest tide of the month. This extra foot to the high tide that we didn't have Wednesday plus a storm surge forecast to 3-3.5 feet. This means damage to beaches and waterfront property is unfortunately on the table once again here, likely as bad or worse than Wednesday.
We have the potential for historic coastal flooding.
On Wednesday, Portland set the record for 3rd place with a water level at 13.84 feet. That’s barely behind the infamous "Blizzard of ‘78" and the Jan. 9, 1978, storm in first and second places respectively.
Right now, Portland is projected to surpass this and to set a new record for the highest water level since records began. And Portland isn't the only one. We're forecast to break records up and down the coastline.
So, we have another multi-hazard storm with flooding, high winds, heavy snow up north, and more coastal flooding. All signs point to an unprecedented event at high tide Saturday around noon. Stay with us for the latest details this weekend and for the extra coverage tomorrow.
Stay safe out there,