Strong Wind, Coastal Hancock
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Hancock forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind in Maine, December 22, 1998
Strong gusty west to northwesterly winds following the passage of a cold front brought down a few trees and limbs onto utility lines across southern Maine causing scattered outages. Winds gusted to 52 mph in Bangor; 46 mph in Portland, Augusta and Sanford; 43 mph in Bar Harbor; 41 mph in Greenville and Rockland; and 38 mph in Lewiston.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 24 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 24
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.
Strong gusty west to northwesterly winds following the passage of a cold front brought down a few trees and limbs onto utility lines across southern Maine causing scattered outages. Winds gusted to 52 mph in Bangor; 46 mph in Portland, Augusta and Sanford; 43 mph in Bar Harbor; 41 mph in Greenville and Rockland; and 38 mph in Lewiston. A cable television worker died in Lewiston after being blown off his ladder by a strong gust of wind.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
24 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong Wind, Coastal Waldo
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Waldo forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Coastal Washington
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Coastal York
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal York forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Interior Cumberland
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Interior Cumberland forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 43.806, -70.330 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Interior Hancock
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Interior Hancock forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Interior Waldo
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Interior Waldo forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Interior Washington
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Interior Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Interior York
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Interior York forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Kennebec
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Kennebec forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.409, -69.767 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Knox
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Knox forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.076, -69.126 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Lincoln
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Lincoln forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 43.998, -69.526 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Northern Franklin
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Franklin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Northern Oxford
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Oxford forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Sagadahoc
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Sagadahoc forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 43.912, -69.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southern Franklin
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Franklin forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southern Oxford
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Oxford forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southern Penobscot
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Penobscot forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southern Piscataquis
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Piscataquis forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Southern Somerset
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Southern Somerset forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Androscoggin
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Androscoggin forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.166, -70.206 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Central Penobscot
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Central Penobscot forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Central Somerset
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Central Somerset forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Strong Wind, Coastal Cumberland
- When
- December 22, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Cumberland forecast zone
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 43.806, -70.330 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong Wind, Androscoggin | 1998-12-22 | 25 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Strong Wind
- Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Ice Storm in Texas, December 22 to 24, 1998
- Ice Storm in Louisiana, December 22 to 24, 1998
- Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 1998
- Ice Storm in Mississippi, December 22 to 25, 1998
- Ice Storm in Louisiana, December 22 to 24, 1998
- Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 1998
- Ice Storm in Arkansas, December 22 to 24, 1998
- Heavy Snow in New York, December 22 to 25, 1998
- Ice Storm in Mississippi, December 22 to 23, 1998
- High Wind in Vermont, December 22, 1998
- Cold in California, December 22, 1998
- Winter Storm in Texas, December 22 to 23, 1998
More
Every storm in Maine in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, December 1998
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: 5674922, 5674923, 5674924, 5674925, 5674926, 5674927, 5674928, 5674929, 5674930, 5674931, 5674932, 5674933, 5674934, 5674935, 5674936, 5674937, 5674938, 5674939, 5674940, 5674941, 5676902, 5676903, 5676904, 5676905.