Maine, 2001

Strong Wind in Maine, March 22, 2001

March 22, 2001 · NWS GYX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A powerful ocean storm moving north toward the Gulf of Maine on Thursday, March 22, brought strong, gusty, northeast winds to the coastal and southern interior sections of western Maine. Peak wind gusts were measured at 46 mph in Sanford, 45 mph in Rockland, and 40 mph in Portland.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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.

A powerful ocean storm moving north toward the Gulf of Maine on Thursday, March 22, brought strong, gusty, northeast winds to the coastal and southern interior sections of western Maine. Peak wind gusts were measured at 46 mph in Sanford, 45 mph in Rockland, and 40 mph in Portland.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Gray, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 21, 8:59 PM EST, 5 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 21, 8:59 PM EST, 5 hours 1 minute before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
815 PM EST WED MAR 21 2001

.DISC...NO CHANGES IN HEADLINES PLANNED FOR UPDATE.  GYX 00Z RAOB
SHWS PLNTY OF DRY AIR IN THE LOWER LEVELS AND SFC TO 1500 FT LYR ABV
FREEZING.  ONCE WE WIPE OUT THE ABV FREEZING LAYER SHUD SEE ANY RA
OR MIXED RA/SN AT ONSET GO QUICKLY TO SN.  ONLY EXCEPTION MAY B
COASTLINE OF NHZ14 AND MEZ23 WHER IT MAY STAY JUST WARM ENUF FOR
LIQUID.  REWRDED ALL ZNES TO HAV OVERNIGHT MINS AS THER IS ENUF OF A
T/DP SPREAD TO ALLOW TEMPS TO DROP SVRL DEGREES WTH ONSET OF PRECIP.
PRECIP SHUD ARRIVE A BIT EARLIER THAN EXPECTED AND WIL REMOVE LATE
FROM 1ST PERIOD WORDING.

.CSTAL WTRS...ADJUSTED 1ST PERIOD WND TO E TO NE AND WIL ADD HIGHER
GUSTS TO WRDING FOR THU.  OTHERWISE JUST COSMETIC CHNGES MADE.

WRKZFP/WRKCWF AVBL ON A
PLAN TO GO TO PRESS AT 02Z.

.GYX...
ME...WSWS FOR ME ZNS 007>009-012>014-018>022-023>028
     MARINE STORM WARNING
NH...WSWS FOR NH ZNS 001>010-013-014
     MARINE STORM WARNING.

ES

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Androscoggin

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Androscoggin forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.166, -70.206 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Coastal Cumberland

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Coastal Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.806, -70.330 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Coastal Waldo

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Coastal Waldo forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Coastal York

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Coastal York forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Interior Cumberland

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Interior Cumberland forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.806, -70.330 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Interior Waldo

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Interior Waldo forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Interior York

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Interior York forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Kennebec

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Kennebec forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.409, -69.767 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Knox

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Knox forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.076, -69.126 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Lincoln

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.998, -69.526 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong Wind, Sagadahoc

When
March 22, 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Sagadahoc forecast zone
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
43.912, -69.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

More

Every storm in Maine in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, March 2001

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: 5236717, 5236718, 5236719, 5236720, 5236721, 5236722, 5236723, 5236724, 5236725, 5236726, 5236727.