Maine Environment & Hazard Risk

The astronomical tide in Portland was 11.2 feet (MLLW) at 1205 pm. Flood stage is 12 feet (MLLW). The gale to storm force onshore winds produced a storm surge of 3.37 feet in Portland Harbor. The resulting storm tide topped out at 14.57 feet (MLLW) in the Forest City with the tide remaining above flood stage for two hours and 38 minutes, however, similar to the storm earlier in the week, localized flooding occurred throughout the day in low lying communities such as Ocean Park in Old Orchard Beach. The temporary new tide gauge at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland reached 14.6 feet (MLLW). Across the southern tip of Maine at the Seavey Island gauge, the tide reached 13.17 feet at (MLLW) 1212 pm.||Waves damaged numerous homes in Wells, Saco and Old Orchard Beach. Severe damage occurred to homes in the Camp Ellis area of Saco where Jersey barriers were significantly moved by the powerful waves and damaged. Also in Saco, a home was destroyed by waves on Eastern Avenue along with damage to Surf Street and the corner of Main Avenue and North Avenue will need to be rebuilt. The end of Beach and Pearl Avenues will also need to be rebuilt in Camp Ellis along with...

Catastrophic flooding on the Androscoggin River resulting from 5 to 6 inches of rainfall and 2 to 3 inches of snowmelt. The river rose 17��� in roughly 12 hours, cresting at 22.1 feet. The record is 24��� set in 1936. Access in and out of the region was cut off for days, including both Route 2 and 108 running on either side of the river. The Flooding started upstream in Gorham, reaching major severity in Bethel and continuing through Rumford and downstream through Mexico, Canton, Peru, Dixfield, Jay, and Livermore Falls. The flood severity was impacted by record flooding from the Ellis and Swift River tributaries from the north. Numerous swift water rescues were needed to move trapped residents and motorists to safety. On the evening of the 18th a vehicle was swept up by the Swift River off of Main Street and deposited into the Androscoggin River. Water rescues saved two of the passengers, but the driver and another passenger perished and were recovered a few days later. Floodwaters moved a house off its foundation on Prospect Avenue in Rumford. Water was up to street signs along Route 140 from Dixfield, Canton, to Jay. In Mexico numerous buildings flooded along Main Street,...

The astronomical tide in Portland was 11.2 feet at 1205 pm. Flood stage is 12 feet (MLLW). The gale to storm force onshore winds produced a storm surge of 3.37 feet in Portland Harbor. The resulting storm tide topped out at 14.57 feet (MLLW) in the Forest City with the tide remaining above flood stage for two hours and 38 minutes, however, similar to the storm earlier in the week, localized flooding occurred throughout the day in low lying communities. The temporary new tide gauge at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland reached 14.6 feet (MLLW). ||The storm created significant damage to waterfront areas of Cumberland County due to both inundation flooding and over wash from large coastal swells that overtopped dunes and seawalls. Homes and seawalls were heavily damaged along Higgins Beach in Scarborough. Also, flood waters infiltrated the wastewater plant on Black Point Road in an area where trail systems and beach access were also damaged. Along Kettle Cover Road in Cape Elizabeth, sidewalks, curbs and part of the road way were lost during the storm along with a rock wall slope protecting the roadway. Large rocks were also tumbled by the waves onto Shore...

The astronomical tide in Portland was 11.2 feet (MLLW) at 1205 pm. Flood stage is 12 feet (MLLW). The gale to storm force onshore winds produced a storm surge of 3.37 feet in Portland Harbor. The resulting storm tide topped out at 14.57 feet (MLLW) in the Forest City with the tide remaining above flood stage for two hours and 38 minutes.||The storm created significant damage to waterfront areas of Sagadahoc County due to both inundation flooding and over wash from large coastal swells that overtopped dunes and seawalls. At Popham Beach and Reid State Park, severe erosion occurred to the dune structure. In Georgetown, Williams Road, Indian Point Road, Kennebec Point Road, Bay Point Road and Mill Island Road were all flooded, docks and floats were significantly damaged by the waves. In Bath, Route 127 was closed due to deep inundation, keeping Georgetown cutoff until the water receded. Flooding was also reported in Bath on Commercial Street, along the waterfront and all low lying roads near the Kennebec River. In Woolwich, Route one was closed due to coastal inundation. Numerous roads were eroded in Edgecomb by the crashing surf. Flooding and debris were reported on Bailey...

An intense and rapidly deepening area of low pressure over the Great Lakes region (975 mb) combined with modestly high astronomical tides to produce the third highest storm tide ever in Portland (records 1912-present). In the Portsmouth region at the relatively new Seavey Island gauge, the tide reached 12.46 feet at 9:36 am. The storm surge was recorded at 3.17 feet. In terms of erosion, significant splash-over occurred along the coast, especially in vulnerable southeast facing beaches. In Wells, flood waters damaged a home in Seabreeze Drive. In Kennebunkport, large waves closed the roads by depositing stones and debris on Ocean Avenue. Waves struck houses on Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport. A portion of the sea wall and a garage along Beach Avenue in Kennebunk was ripped out by the waves. Private seawalls and bulkheads were heavily damaged by large rocks moved by the waves. Inundation flooding was also extreme across Southwest Maine. In Saco, the community of Camp Ellis was completely shut off with over a foot of water covering the corner of Route 9 and Lower Beach Road. North Ave in Camp Ellis was destroyed by wave action, and up to 2-3 feet of sand was left on parts of...

The morning of December 23rd had perfect alignment of a very high astronomical tide, peak storm surge of 2+ feet and large battering nearshore waves of 15 to 20 feet all coinciding at high tide. The astronomical tide in Portland was 11.3 feet MLLW at 10:16 am, already close to the established 12 foot MLLW minor flood level. The intense onshore winds produced a storm surge of 2.41 feet in Portland Harbor. The resulting storm tide topped out at 13.72 feet MLLW, it���s fourth highest water level in modern history for the Forest City (records 1912-present). The tide remained above flood stage for 195 minutes (945 am - 100 pm). A temporary new tide gauge installed by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) in Portland reached 13.78 feet MLLW. Across the southern tip of Maine at the relatively new Seavey Island gauge, the tide reached 12.41 feet MLLW at 1054 am with a storm surge of 2.50 feet.||Significant to major coastal flooding occurred across most vulnerable locations in York County. No injuries were reported but there were documented water rescues at Granite Point in Biddeford and in Wells on Mile Road as well as Webhannet Drive due to stranded motorists in flood...