With her first rain bands passing through Lincoln County shortly after dawn on Sunday, the center of now Tropical Storm Irene is still chugging north. But as her course continues to trend to the west, Irene’s center may miss Maine entirely and enter Canada sometime this evening over the northern New Hampshire boarder.
While the change in course should mean a milder event, especially for the coastal areas of Lincoln County, Irene should still bring some noteworthy wind and rainfall to the area.
The center of Irene should pass closest to Lincoln County in the early evening hours between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., according to current forecast models. Lincoln County remains under a Tropical Storm Warning and a Flood Warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).
The highest winds drawn in by Irene are forecast to arrive ahead of the storm center in the late afternoon. Winds are forecast to begin Sunday from the south at a sustained velocity of 30 to 40 mph. Gusts are still forecast to reach the 60 mph mark.
The NWS also warns of the possibility of strong thunderstorms and even tornadoes as the storm center passes.
One of the most critical times for this event will be during the astronomical tide late Sunday night when the high tide may combine with storm surge and any rainfall run-off to cause some local flooding.
Storm surge is presently forecast to be 1 to 1.5 feet, according to the NWS. That surge would combine with a high tide of 11.1 feet forecast for 11:27 p.m. in Newcastle. Some forecasters have predicted that the storm will pass prior to this high tide, reducing any storm surge during the tidal apex, and any possibility for flooding.
A moderate number of power outages have been reported in the Lincoln County area as a result of Irene, according to Central Maine Power (CMP). At the time of this posting, there were scattered outages reported in Bremen, Damariscotta, Jefferson, Nobleboro, and South Bristol; and numerous outages in Bremen and Dresden.
There were 1801 CMP customers in Lincoln County without power at the time of this posting, according to reports.
Our neighboring states to the south are reporting over 4 million power outages.
Area fire departments are responding to numerous reports of trees and wires down, but no major incidents have been reported at the time of this posting.
There were also a number of cancellations and closures affecting Lincoln County. These can be checked on The Lincoln County News homepage by clicking on the Cancellations and Closings tile located there through special arrangement with WCSH Channel 6.
The Lincoln County News website will continue to follow the progress of this event and post any additional information here as soon as it becomes available.
