Maine, 1998

Cold in Maine, January 12, 1998

January 12, 1998 · NWS GYX · 30 events in 30 counties and zones

Cold temperatures created problems for the 160,000 customers, an estimated 370,000, people in southern and central Maine that remained without power from the previous week's ice storm. Minimum temperatures on Monday morning, January 12, ranged from about 10 degrees F below zero in northern Maine to 5 to 15 degrees F above zero in central and southern Maine.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 30 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
30

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.

Cold temperatures created problems for the 160,000 customers, an estimated 370,000, people in southern and central Maine that remained without power from the previous week's ice storm. Minimum temperatures on Monday morning, January 12, ranged from about 10 degrees F below zero in northern Maine to 5 to 15 degrees F above zero in central and southern Maine. The cold temperatures created worries about the potential for frozen pipes, and caused some residents to move from their homes to emergency shelters. In addition, the cold temperatures made power restoration efforts more difficult, especially for out-of-state crews that were not accustomed to working in cold conditions.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

30 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Androscoggin

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Androscoggin forecast zone
Coordinates
44.166, -70.206 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Central Penobscot

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Central Penobscot forecast zone
Coordinates
45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Central Somerset

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Central Somerset forecast zone
Coordinates
45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Coastal Cumberland

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Coastal Cumberland forecast zone
Coordinates
43.806, -70.330 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Coastal Hancock

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Coastal Hancock forecast zone
Coordinates
44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Coastal Waldo

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Coastal Waldo forecast zone
Coordinates
44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Coastal Washington

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Coastal Washington forecast zone
Coordinates
44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Coastal York

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Coastal York forecast zone
Coordinates
43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Interior Cumberland

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Interior Cumberland forecast zone
Coordinates
43.806, -70.330 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Interior Hancock

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Interior Hancock forecast zone
Coordinates
44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Interior Waldo

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Interior Waldo forecast zone
Coordinates
44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Interior Washington

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Interior Washington forecast zone
Coordinates
44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Interior York

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Interior York forecast zone
Coordinates
43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Kennebec

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Kennebec forecast zone
Coordinates
44.409, -69.767 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Knox

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Knox forecast zone
Coordinates
44.076, -69.126 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Lincoln

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Coordinates
43.998, -69.526 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northeast Aroostook

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northeast Aroostook forecast zone
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Franklin

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Franklin forecast zone
Coordinates
44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Oxford

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Oxford forecast zone
Coordinates
44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Penobscot

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Penobscot forecast zone
Coordinates
45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Piscataquis

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Piscataquis forecast zone
Coordinates
45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Somerset

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Somerset forecast zone
Coordinates
45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northwest Aroostook

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northwest Aroostook forecast zone
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Sagadahoc

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Sagadahoc forecast zone
Coordinates
43.912, -69.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southeast Aroostook

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southeast Aroostook forecast zone
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Franklin

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Franklin forecast zone
Coordinates
44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Oxford

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Oxford forecast zone
Coordinates
44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Penobscot

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Penobscot forecast zone
Coordinates
45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Piscataquis

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Piscataquis forecast zone
Coordinates
45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Somerset

When
January 12, 3:00 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
Where
Southern Somerset forecast zone
Coordinates
45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maine in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, January 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: 5638084, 5638085, 5638086, 5638087, 5638088, 5638089, 5638090, 5638091, 5638092, 5638093, 5638094, 5638095, 5638096, 5638097, 5638098, 5638099, 5638100, 5638101, 5638102, 5638103, 5638104, 5638105, 5638106, 5638107, 5638108, 5638109, 5638110, 5638111, 5638112, 5638113.