LEWISTON – It will be wet. It will be windy. And the air may have the feel of the tropics as a group of weather systems mingle with the remnants of Hurricane Katrina.
Beyond that, folks in Maine don’t need to worry much about the storm that has battered our southern neighbors. Weather experts say that by the time Katrina reaches New England, it will announce itself mostly in the form of wet and sticky weather.
“We’ll get some rain. The heaviest of it will affect New Hampshire and the northern part of Maine,” said Tony Lacroix, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray. “We’re mostly going to have unsettled weather conditions.”
Katrina is expected to move up the St. Lawrence River Valley late Wednesday and early Thursday. As it approaches New England, the storm will interact with weather systems from the Atlantic Ocean and another system moving in from the Great Lakes.
By the end of Thursday, between 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected to fall in Maine. That of course depends on whether Katrina has tricks up her windy sleeve.
“We’re watching it, of course,” Lacroix said. “These storms conserve energy for quite a while so we need to keep a close eye on it.”
History also provides a measure of comfort to Mainers fretting about storm systems moving in from the South. The highest wind recorded in the Lewiston-Auburn area during a hurricane was measured at 78 mph in 1954 during Hurricane Carol. In 1991, Hurricane Bob created 81 mph winds at Blue Hill and 80 mph in Wiscasset, according to a Web link from the University of Maine Web site.
Bob was memorable
Only seven storms since the early 1900s have had a major impact on this state: The New England Hurricane of 1938, the Great Atlantic Hurricane of 1944, Hurricane Carol of 1954, Hurricane Edna of 1954, Hurricane Donna of 1960, Hurricane Gloria of 1985 and Hurricane Bob of 1991.
Many of those storms are barely remembered by local weather experts, because of a lack of drama or because of the years that have passed. Hurricane Bob however, sticks in the minds of those who make careers out of weather.
“We all remember Bob,” Lacroix said.
Hurricane Bob swept in during the middle of August 1991. By the time it reached New England, it was downgraded to tropical storm status but still had plenty of punch left.
In this state, Bob caused $26 million worth of damage, killed three people and injured two; its winds were measured in Maine at 61 mph. Nearly 8 inches of rain fell on Portland as a result of the storm.
Still, in comparison with the death toll and the $1.5 billion in damage caused by Bob, Maine got off easy.
In Androscoggin County, a total of 6.3 inches of rain fell in Lewiston. Flooding damaged many areas, including roads in Lisbon and Durham, according to historical records. The Androscoggin River also rose by 4 feet, to 8.4 feet. Flooding destroyed small bridges and washed out several roads throughout the county.
High winds in Androscoggin County caused extensive damage as Tropical Storm Bob peaked. In Durham, winds of 68 mph were reported.
In Poland, the highway, fire, and sheriff’s departments were kept busy into the night. Several calls for branches on wires and trees downed on roads came into the dispatch center.
In Minot, the Highway Department had to clear more than 30 trees from the roads. Lisbon and Mechanic Falls had the worst damage, totaling $332,000 in personal property damage and $44,000 in public damage. Total damage in Androscoggin County was estimated at $1 million.
Gloria was feisty
In 1985, Hurricane Gloria was felt in Maine as it moved north and petered to a still-feisty tropical storm. Three people were hurt as the storm blew across the state.
In New Gloucester, a woman was seriously injured when part of the roof of her mobile home blew off and pinned her to a car in her driveway. A Windsor man was also seriously injured when a tree limb fell onto him.
Hundreds of trees in the Auburn and Lewiston area were either uprooted or had limbs torn off. Also, in Auburn, the high winds blew off the roof of a home on Manley Street. Several tree limbs fell on that street and crushed several cars.
Out of 25 of the nation’s deadliest hurricanes, Maine has been affected by only four. These are the New England Hurricane in 1938, the Great Atlantic Hurricane in 1944, Hurricane Carol in 1954 and Hurricane Donna in 1960.
At the National Weather Service, Lacroix said Mainers should get accustomed to wet, unpleasant weather, even if they don’t have to worry about deadly weather conditions. Katrina will continue to harass people even as she weakens.
“It’s going to be spread out over a period of days,” Lacroix said.
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