Large branch broke and hit the power lines Saturday on Smithtown Road in Pittston. More than a thousand of Central Maine Power Co.’s Kennebec County customers reported outages from the storm. By 5:45 p.m., the CMP website reported just 271 outages remaining. Photo courtesy of Madeline Clay
Central Maine experienced power outages Saturday afternoon when an isolated thunderstorm made its way through the area around 1 p.m. and ended about 2:30 p.m.
According to John Cannon, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Gray, the strong gusts of wind reached speeds of 40 to 50 mph and left many in the area without power.
By mid-afternoon, Kennebec County — which had been hardest hit — had just over 700 outages, according to the Central Maine Power Co. website. By 5:45 p.m., there were 271 in Kennebec County without power, with Waterville and Sidney — the hardest hit communities, combining for the bulk of the 1,000 or so initial outages — reporting 156 and 1, respectively.
Cannon said the National Weather Service had reports of rain totals of 1-1.5 inches. Some areas might have seen hail, but the meteorologists have yet to confirm it, Cannon said.
One Pittston resident, Madeline Clay, posted a photo of a branches that came down from winds and landed in the middle of Smithtown Road. Clay, who lost power, said as of 5 p.m. Saturday she still did not have power and “no one” has been out to check it.
The thundershowers are done, said Cannon, and central Maine can expect the heat to go away Saturday night. Sunday is expected to be a sunny day with less humidity.
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