The second storm of its kind this week is bearing down on coastal Maine Saturday, threatening to bring record flooding and high winds that spell even more danger for oceanfront property.
Flooding should peak around noontime up and down the coast. Things look like they will be worse Down East and in coastal Hancock County, where the strongest gusts are expected. But the entire coastline is under a coastal flood warning, and areas that took damage during Wednesday’s powerful storm are more vulnerable this time.
Here’s what you need to know about the storm and how to prepare.
Why is the flooding risk so high?
It’s an unfortunate confluence of events. Large storm surges are being pushed into the Gulf of Maine. That is combined with the season’s highest tide expected today. It will be a full foot higher than the one observed on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The damage caused by this week’s storm is one of the worrying things about today’s storm. Cities and towns along the coast have only begun tallying up the damage from Wednesday, which included whole houses floating away or simply being leveled. Millions of dollars of damage are likely in many towns alone, like Bristol, where docks were lost or damaged.
This means that another storm could finish off buildings that took partial damage earlier in the week. Dunes and beaches have also eroded. For waterfront properties, this lessens the protection against floodwaters and will lead them higher than they would otherwise go.
What are the areas to watch?
All of coastal Maine will be hit hard, with 50 mph gusts or higher expected everywhere. But Down East Maine and communities around Mount Desert Island look to be the main target in part because of the projected wind gusts of around 60 mph from Eastport to Bucksport.
Cutler is expected to see record flood levels. Eastport could see them too. Mount Desert Island looks ready to break a record only set on Wednesday at a current forecast of a 16-foot water level in Frenchman Bay. Areas vulnerable to flooding include Eastport, Lubec, Machias, villages on and around Mount Desert Island, and the Deer Isle Causeway.
Flooding is also expected in southern areas including Portland, where the National Weather Service in Gray forecast water levels slightly above a 1978 record of just over 14 feet. This should submerge lower-lying streets like Wednesday’s storm did.
There are some inland areas affected by tides that will be hit as well, including Kenduskeag Plaza in Bangor. The city has closed it to parking until flood risk passes.
What about the rest of Maine?
Snow was falling in inland Maine early Saturday, with 2-5 inches expected in some areas northeast of Lewiston. That will change to rain as temperatures rise back into the 40s later today. Snowmelt could mean some localized inland flooding, but the National Weather Service expects minimal effects on rivers that overran their banks in December.
How should Mainers prepare?
Evacuations have not been ordered along the coast, but the Maine Emergency Management Agency advises those living there to be familiar with evacuation routes, have an emergency plan with many ways to receive weather alerts and follow advice from local officials.
Everyone else should stay away from the coast. Gov. Janet Mills told reporters on Friday that the storm is “not a tourist event.”
