November 29 – A Thanksgiving storm knocked out power to more than 70,000 homes and businesses in Maine.
The storm, which rolled into the state Thursday morning, brought rain to much of southern Maine all day before turning to snow everywhere except the immediate coastline later in the afternoon.
More than 52,000 CMP customers were without power at 7:30 a.m. Friday, but that number dropped to below 50,000 by 9 a.m. Hardest hit is Somerset County, where more than 13,000 customers are without power. CMP reported 9,400 outages in Kennebec County, 6,700 in Androscoggin, 4,600 in Franklin, 6,700 in Oxford County and 6,300 in Penobscot County.
Source: Central Maine Power
Versant Power, which serves northern and eastern Maine, reported more than 18,000 outages Friday morning, mostly in the greater Bangor area. The utility said crews are focused on assessing damage and ensuring downed lines are safe.
Power outages increased steadily throughout the afternoon on Thursday as snow piled up in inland areas. According to the CMP and Versant websites, fewer than 100 households across the state were without power as of 2:30 p.m., but nearly 17,000 were without power as of 7 p.m. Oxford and Somerset counties saw the brunt of these disruptions, while the coastal counties were largely unaffected.
Forecasters had warned that the combination of Thursday night’s wet, heavy snow and gusty winds expected to increase later overnight could be a recipe for downed power lines.
In an update posted to social media Friday morning, CMP said crews were finding fallen trees that needed to be removed before power could be restored.
“After working all night, we have restored more than 33,000 customers and more than 100 shifts will continue to work today,” the update said. “Please allow our crews adequate space to work along the road. Driving conditions may remain hazardous, especially during the morning hours.”
The highest snow totals reported to the National Weather Service were in Oxford County, where Fryeburg saw 8 inches on Thursday as of 8:15 p.m. In Androscoggin County, 6 inches fell in Turner by 8 p.m. Only a trace of snow was reported at the Portland International Jetport.
As the storm subsided overnight, the wind gusts increased. The weather service warned that wind gusts along the coast would approach 60 kilometers per hour, which could lead to an increased risk of power outages.
This story will be updated.
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