High Wind — Central Interior Cumberland, Maine
December 18, 2023 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
Strong southeast wind gusts began the morning of the 18th. While wind gusts remained strong throughout the day, the damaging gusts occurred in several waves during the morning, again at midday, and once more in the evening. The NWS Gray office recorded a peak gust of 58 mph at 10:21 am. The peak gusts were fairly typical of a high wind event during the cool season, but the duration of the strong to damaging winds was much longer than usual. So while 50 to 60 mph wind gusts did some damage alone, the persistent gusts brought down limbs and trees and damaged powerlines. Around 40 percent of electrical customers were without power by the evening of the 18th.
Other notable high wind events in Maine
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.