The remains of tropical storm Hanna moved through eastern New England dumping 5 to 7 inches of rain in western Maine in about 8 hours causing rapid rises on area streams. Road washouts were the major problem.
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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.
The episode as NWS GYX wrote it up.
The remains of tropical storm Hanna moved through eastern New England dumping 5 to 7 inches of rain in western Maine in about 8 hours causing rapid rises on area streams. Road washouts were the major problem. Minor flooding occurred on the Presumpscot River at Westbrook.
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 Sep 7, 1:38 AM EST, 2 hours 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 238 AM EDT SUN SEP 7 2008 .SYNOPSIS... REMAINS OF HANNA WILL RAPIDLY EXIT THROUGH THE GULF OF MAINE THIS MORNING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER THE MID ATLANTIC REGION THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST ON TUESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD OVER THE REGION FROM THE GREAT LAKES FOR THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TODAY/... BACK EDGE OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE NORTHEASTWARD THIS MORNING. EXPECT PRECIPITATION TO END OVER SOUTHERNMOST FORECAST AREA BEFORE SUNRISE AND OVER EASTERN PORTIONS OF FORECAST AREA AFTER SUNRISE. && .SHORT TERM /TONIGHT/... CLEARING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY WITH DOWNSLOPING OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS UNDER INFLUENCE OF STIFF NORTHWESTERLY WINDS. WINDS WILL ABATE DURING THE AFTERNOON AS WEARS ON. MOSTLY CLEAR OVER SOUTHERN/COASTAL SECTIONS TONIGHT...THOUGH STILL SOME LINGERING CLOUDS OVER NORTHERN/MOUNTAIN SECTIONS. USED BLEND OF MAV/MET/CURRENT FORECAST FOR TEMPERATURES/WINDS AND BLEND OF MAV/CURRENT FORECAST FOR POPS. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... WILL KEEP THIS BRIEF DUE TO ONGOING FLOODING AND RAINFALL NOW APPROACHING THE 6-7 INCH RANGE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SW MAINE AND SE NEW HAMPSHIRE. LOCALIZED SIGNIFICANT FLOODING WILL RESULT. OTHERWISE...HIGH PRESSURE TO KEEP US DRY UNTIL STRONG COLD FRONT APPROACHES TUESDAY. STRONG DYNAMICS AND ACCOMPANYING VERY STRONG WIND FIELD WILL SUPPORT POSSIBLE LOCALIZED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BY LATE IN THE DAY TUESDAY. FRONT MOVES OFF THE COAST LATER IN THE EVENING ALLOWING HIGH PRESSURE TO DRY US OUT FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGION. && .AVIATION /06Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... SHORT RANGE...BECOMING VFR OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS BY SUNRISE AND OVER EASTERN PORTIONS AFTER SUNRISE. VFR TONIGHT. LONG RANGE...MAINLY VFR EXCEPT FOR LOCALIZED IFR/LIFR IN ANY STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. && .MARINE... SHORT RANGE...WINDS BECOMING NORTH TO NORTHWEST AS HANNA LIFTS OUT. LOOKING FOR GUSTS UP TO 45 KTS ON BACK SIDE OF STORM...SO GLW CONTINUED THROUGH THIS MORNING. WILL MOST LIKELY BE ABLE TO BACK OFF TO SCAS LATER TODAY...THEN BELOW SCAS TONIGHT. LONG RANGE...GRADIENT INCREASES RAPIDLY AHEAD OF STRONG COLD FRONT ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW WINDS AND SEAS TO RESPOND AND BUILD DURING THE DAY. WNA RAN PRETTY HIGH WITH EVENT...AND THIS LOOKS REASONABLE GIVEN SYNOPTIC SITUATION. OTHERWISE...WINDS/SEAS RELATIVELY LIGHT THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. && .HYDROLOGY... SO FAR...HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION HAS BEEN OVER SOUTHEASTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE AS WELL AS COASTAL AND ADJACENT INTERIOR SECTIONS OF MAINE WITH AMOUNTS OVER 4 INCHES AS OF 2 AM AND STILL COUNTING. WILL DROP FLASH FLOOD WATCH WITH THIS PACKAGE AS COUNTY WARNINGS ALREADY HOISTED FOR URBAN AREAS AND SMALL STREAMS. THOSE WARNINGS ARE CURRENTLY IN PLACE UNTIL THE 5 TO 6 AM TIME FRAME MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED...BUT WELL MAKE THAT DECISION BEFORE OVER NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS...BASED ON ADDITIONAL QPF. HAVENT HEARD OF ANY SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS AS OF THIS TIME...BUT THATS SUBJECT TO CHANGE ESPECIALLY AFTER DAYBREAK. .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. NH...NONE. MARINE...GALE WARNING UNTIL NOON EDT TODAY FOR ANZ150>154. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME 249 AM EDT SUN SEP 7 2008 MEZ007>009-012>014-NHZ001>009-080700- NORTHERN OXFORD-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-CENTRAL SOMERSET-SOUTHERN OXFORD- SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-SOUTHERN SOMERSET-NORTHERN COOS-SOUTHERN COOS- NORTHERN GRAFTON-NORTHERN CARROLL-SOUTHERN GRAFTON-SOUTHERN CARROLL- SULLIVAN-MERRIMACK-BELKNAP- 249 AM EDT SUN SEP 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MAINE...CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE AND NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT AREAS OF RAIN WILL END THIS MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL OR RADIO IN SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MEZ018>028-NHZ010-013-014-080700- INTERIOR YORK-INTERIOR CUMBERLAND-ANDROSCOGGIN-KENNEBEC- INTERIOR WALDO-COASTAL YORK-COASTAL CUMBERLAND-SAGADAHOC-LINCOLN- KNOX-COASTAL WALDO-STRAFFORD-INTERIOR ROCKINGHAM-COASTAL ROCKINGHAM- 249 AM EDT SUN SEP 7 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MAINE...CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SOUTHEASTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HEAVY DOWNPOURS WILL END EARLY THIS MORNING...HOWEVER...LOCALIZED SIGNIFICANT FLOODING WILL CONTINUE FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS. THEREFORE...FLOOD WARNINGS REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF SOUTHERN MAINE AND SOUTHEAST NEW HAMPSHIRE. GUSTY WINDS MAY CAUSE ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES EARLY THIS MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL OR RADIO IN SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. ANZ150>154-080700- STONINGTON ME TO PORT CLYDE ME OUT TO 25 NM-PENOBSCOT BAY- PORT CLYDE ME TO CAPE ELIZABETH ME OUT TO 25 NM-CASCO BAY- CAPE ELIZABETH ME TO MERRIMACK RIVER MA OUT TO 25 NM- 249 AM EDT SUN SEP 7 2008 ...GALE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EDT TODAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CASCO BAY...PENOBSCOT BAY...THE COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE ELIZABETH ME TO MERRIMACK RIVER MA...THE COASTAL WATERS FROM PORT CLYDE ME TO CAPE ELIZABETH ME AND THE COASTAL WATERS FROM STONINGTON ME TO PORT CLYDE ME. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS. GALE WARNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WINDS MAY APPROACH GALE FORCE ON TUESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL OR RADIO IN SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
344 AM EDT SUN SEP 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0200 AM FLOOD 3 S HOOKSETT 43.05N 71.47W
09/07/2008 MERRIMACK NH DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
ROUTE 28 BYPASS CLOSED NEAR ROUTE 3 JUNCTION. TIME OF
FLOODING ESTIMATED.
&&
DSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain from the remnants of tropical storm Hanna resulted in minor flooding on the Presumpscot River at Westbrook, (flood stage 15.0 ft) which crested at 18.6 ft.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, September 2008
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: 136196.