Maine, 1997

High Wind in Maine, May 15 to 16, 1997

May 15 to 16, 1997 · NWS GYX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An intensifying low pressure center moving northward from the Gulf of Maine caused strong winds which snapped and uprooted trees in parts of Aroostook County. Falling trees and branches caused isolated power outages.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GYX wrote it up.

An intensifying low pressure center moving northward from the Gulf of Maine caused strong winds which snapped and uprooted trees in parts of Aroostook County. Falling trees and branches caused isolated power outages.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northeast Aroostook

When
May 15, 8:00 PM EST to May 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Northeast Aroostook forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southeast Aroostook

When
May 15, 8:00 PM EST to May 16, 7:00 AM EST
Where
Southeast Aroostook forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maine in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, May 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5624853, 5624854.