Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and large hail occurred across northern Maine during the afternoon and evening of the 27th. The thunderstorms developed in advance of a cold front crossing the region.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 CAR wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and large hail occurred across northern Maine during the afternoon and evening of the 27th. The thunderstorms developed in advance of a cold front crossing the region.
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 Caribou, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 27, 1:43 PM EST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 243 PM EDT MON JUL 27 2009 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA THIS EVENING AND MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATE TONIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO AREA ON TUESDAY. ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION LATE WEDNESDAY AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA ON THURSDAY...FOLLOWED BY FAIR WEATHER ON FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TUESDAY/... RADAR IS FAIRLY ACTIVE THIS AFT WITH NEW SHWRS AND TSTMS ALREADY MOVING INTO NWRN AREAS OF THE FA FROM QB. THIS TREND WILL CONT AND WE XPCT TSTMS TO INCREASE IN INTENSITY LATER THIS AFT AS MORE BREAKS IN THE CLD CVR OCCUR OVR MUCH OF THE FA. THE NAM IN PARTICULAR INDICATES THE MOST POTENTIAL INSTABILITY OVR WSW PTNS OF THE FA...WHERE THE GREATEST SUNSHINE IS XPCTD PRIOR TO TSTMS MOVING IN OR FORMING OVR THIS AREA. MANY AREAS OF THE FA ARE XPCTD TO REACH SB CAPES OF A 1000 J/KG OR MORE LATE THIS AFT...WITH LOCALLY UP TO 2000 J/KG OVR FAR WSW PTNS OF THE FA. THE CAPE DISTRIBUTION IS FAIRLY EQUAL ACROSS THE POSITIVE AREA FROM THE LFC TO EL...SUGGESTING MODEST MID AND UPPER LVL LAPSE RATES FOR SEVERITY. ALTHOUGH SOUNDINGS INDICATE SLOWLY INCREASING WIND SPEEDS ALF...MID LVL WINDS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN 50 KT FOR NUMEROUS SVR WIND GUSTS AND FZLS AOA 11.5 KFT SUGGEST LIMITED LARGE HAIL POTENTIAL IN THE ABSENCE OF ORGANIZED STORM ROTATION...SO WE ARE LIKELY LOOKING AT MARGINAL SVR WX TSTM PRODUCERS FOR THOSE STORMS THAT GO TO BECOME SVR LATE THIS AFT. IN ADDITION PWS OF 1.25 TO 1.50...LARGE ABV ZERO DEG C CAPES AND BACKWARD PROPAGATING CORFIDI VECTORS OF 10 KT OR LESS OVR PARTS OF THE FA SUGGEST THAT ANY ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE TSTM COMPLEXES WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE FLOODING RNFL. NAM MODEL GUIDANCE INDICATES DECENT SB CAPES BEING AVAILABLE FOR TSTMS TO UTILIZE UP TO ABOUT 03Z...BEFORE TAPERING TO SHWRS AND DISSIPATING LATER TNGT. FCST QPF WAS BASED ON POP DISTRIBUTION... WHICH WAS FITTED TO MAX SB CAPE AXIS...MSLY ACROSS WRN AREAS. LATER TNGT...WITH MOIST TROPICAL AIR STILL IN PLACE...WE XPCT AREAS OF FOG...WITH WIDESPREAD FOG MOST LIKELY ACROSS DOWNEAST AREAS. FOG SHOULD DISSIPATE MOST AREAS BY MID MORN TUE AS SFC WINDS BECOME MORE WRLY-DOWNSLOPE COMPONENT...LEAVING AT LEAST PTLY SUNNY SKIES FOR TUE. WITH WARMING 925-850 TEMPS BY TUE AFT...WE STILL XPCT SC TEMPS TO RECOVER TO 80S MOST AREAS XCPT 70S ALG THE IMMEDIATE COAST AND HIGH TRRN OF THE FA. WE LOWERED POPS TO LESS THAN 15 PERCENT FOR TUE BASED ON THE BELIEF THAT A MID LVL CAP (STABLE ZONE) WILL LARGELY PREVENT CU FROM REACHING THE UPPER HALF OF THE TROPOSPHERE DURING THE HEAT OF THE DAY TUE. && .SHORT TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY/... FOR WEDNESDAY UPPER LEVEL AND SURFACE LOW PRESSURE REMAIN TO THE WEST OF THE STATE THRUSDAY WITH STRONG HIGH PRESSURE OFF THE EAST COAST RESULTING IN SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS NEW ENGLAND. EXPECT WEAL SHORT WAVE TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW...SO WILL INCREASE POPS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. A MORE SIGNIFICANT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DEVELOP ACROSS THE MID ATLANTIC STATES WEDNESDAY EVENING THEN MOVES NORTHEAST PASSING THROUGH THE GULF OF MAINE THURSDAY. WILL USE A BLEND OF NAM12 AND GFS40 FOR QPF AND POPS WITH SOME SMOOTHING. FOR SKY COVER HAVE USED A MODEL BLEND INCLUDING THE SREF. THE GMOS WAS USED FOR TEMPERATURE...WIND AND DEW POINTS. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY/... A RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD IN FROM THE WEST THURSDAY EVENING THEN MOVES ACROSS THE STATE LATE NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE MID ATLANTIC AREA FRIDAY EVENING. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ALONG THE MAINE COAST SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND THIS SYSTEM SATURDAY EVENING THEN CROSSES NEW ENGLAND SATURDAY. A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST SUNDAY NIGHT...CROSSING NEW ENGLAND TUESDAY. WILL INITIALIZE THIS PERIOD WITH GMOS...HOWEVER WILL LOWER POPS THURSDAY EVENING THEN AGAIN LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. WILL ALSO ADJUST SKY COVER TO BETTER FIT POPS. && .AVIATION /18Z MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... NEAR TERM: MVFR/VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONT LATE AFT INTO ERLY EVE AT ALL TAF SITES...WITH IFR POSSIBLE WITH HEAVIER SHWRS AND TSTMS. LATER TNGT...MOST TAF SITES WILL LOWER IN CLGS AND VSBYS AS AREAS OF FOG RE-FORM. FOG WILL DISSIPATE RELATIVELY EARLY TUE MORN...LINGERING LONGEST ALG THE DOWNEAST COAST...AS SFC WINDS BECOME MORE DOWNSLOPE. THIS WILL ALLOW IFR TO RAPIDLY TRANSITION TO VFR MOST IF NOT ALL TAF SITES BY LATE MORN...CONTG THRU THE REST OF THE DAY TUE. SHORT TO LONG TERM: EXPECT IFR/MVFR CONDITIONS WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED. FOG IS ALSO POSSIBLE AT KBGR AND KBHB. IFR AND MVFR CONDITIONS ALSO POSSIBLE FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: FOR WINDS WILL USE A BLEND OF NAM12 AND GFS40 THEN LOWER WIND SPEED 2 KNOTS BELOW MODEL BLEND WITH STRONG MARINE INVERSION IN PLACE. FOR WAVES SPECTRAL DATA INDICATES LONG PERIOD INCOMING WAVE FIELD AROUND 1 FOOT OR LESS. WIND WAVE FORECAST AROUND 4 FEET LOOKS TOO HIGH AND WILL LOWER 1 FOOT. WILL KEEP VISIBILITY BELOW 1 MILE WITH HUMID AIR MASS IN PLACE AND KEEP WIDE SPREAD FOG TONIGHT. WILL GO WITH AREAS OF FOG TUESDAY AS SOME DRIER AIR MOVES IN. SHORT TO LONG TERM: WILL ALSO USE MODEL BLEND AS DESCRIBE ABOVE...HOWEVER WILL LOWER LOWER 2 TO 3 KNOTS WITH FORECAST WINDS A LITTLE STRONGER. FOR WAVES WILL INITIALIZE WITH WNA/4. ONCE AGAIN WILL LOWER WAVE MODEL 1 FOOT SINCE EXPECT SIMILAR BIAS IN SOUTHWEST FLOW. A LONGER FETCH DEVELOPS TO THE SOUTH OF THE GULF OF MAINE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY AND EXPECT SOME OF THIS WAVE FIELD TO REACH WATERS SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT. WILL ALSO KEEP VISIBILITY BELOW 1 MILE FOR THIS PERIOD. WILL USE WIDE SPREAD FOG THURSDAY AND AREAS OF FOG FRIDAY WITH WIND SPEED A LITTLE STRONGER. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...VJN SHORT TERM...MIGNONE LONG TERM...MIGNONE AVIATION...VJN MARINE...VJN/MIGNONE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 1250 PM EDT MON JUL 27 2009 MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-281700- NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK-NORTHEAST AROOSTOOK-NORTHERN SOMERSET- NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS-NORTHERN PENOBSCOT-SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK- CENTRAL PISCATAQUIS-CENTRAL PENOBSCOT-SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT- INTERIOR HANCOCK-CENTRAL WASHINGTON-COASTAL HANCOCK- COASTAL WASHINGTON-SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS-NORTHERN WASHINGTON- 1250 PM EDT MON JUL 27 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL MAINE...NORTH CENTRAL MAINE...NORTHERN MAINE...SOUTHEAST MAINE AND WEST CENTRAL MAINE. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL AS WELL AS VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. PLEASE MONITOR THE FORECAST FOR POSSIBLE WATCHES AND WARNINGS. IN ADDITION...TORRENTIAL RAINFALL RATES AND LOCALIZED FLOODING IS POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ANZ050>052-281700- COASTAL WATERS FROM EASTPORT ME TO SCHOODIC POINT ME OUT 25 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM SCHOODIC POINT ME TO STONINGTON ME OUT 25 NM- INTRACOASTAL WATERS FROM SCHOODIC POINT ME TO STONINGTON ME- 1250 PM EDT MON JUL 27 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. VJN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
1013 AM EDT MON JUL 27 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0545 AM HAIL LAGRANGE 45.17N 68.85W
07/27/2009 E0.88 INCH PENOBSCOT ME POST OFFICE
&&
MATThe Caribou radar (KCBW), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:59 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were toppled on Central Park Tote Road in Baxter State Park by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
The hail was reported near Telos Lake.
Several trees were toppled by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph. Several tents and screen shelters were also destroyed.
Several trees were toppled on the Southern Park Tote Road by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
A large tree was toppled across Route 1 by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, July 2009
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: 186824, 186825, 186826, 186827, 186828, 186829.