Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and very heavy rain moved across eastern portions of Aroostook county during the evening of the 13th in advance of a cold front. The heavy rains contributed to localized flash flooding.
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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 CAR wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds and very heavy rain moved across eastern portions of Aroostook county during the evening of the 13th in advance of a cold front. The heavy rains contributed to localized flash flooding.
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 13, 3:52 PM EST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 452 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2010 .SYNOPSIS... A COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST TONIGHT AND CROSS THE STATE WEDNESDAY...RESULTING IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WILL END WEDNESDAY EVENING. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY. A COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE REGION FRIDAY WITH ANOTHER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... A COLD FRONT IS CURRENTLY APPROACHING THE ST LAWRENCE VALLEY FROM THE WEST. THIS SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO APPROACH THE REGION THIS EVENING THEN CROSS THE STATE LATER TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR STORMS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING IN THE FAR WEST. NOT A LOT OF SHEAR OR CAPE BUT DO HAVE BOUNDARY MOVING THROUGH. ALSO PLENTY OF PRECIPITABLE WATER. WILL KEEP THUNDER IN FORECAST UNTIL 0600Z. WILL ALSO KEEP ENHANCED WORDING FOR HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. NAM AND GFS DEVELOP LOW PRESSURE ALONG FRONT AND MOVE SYSTEM ALONG FRONT LATER TONIGHT. THIS GENERATES A PRECIPITATION MAX ACROSS THE SOUTH LATER TONIGHT. FOR QPF WILL USE A BLEND OF NAM AND GFS...HOWEVER WILL LOWER AMOUNTS AND KEEP MAX OF .50 INCHES PER 6 HOUR PERIOD. FOR WIND...TEMPERATURE AND DEW POINT WILL USE GMOS...WILL ADJUST GMOS MAX TEMPERATURE A LITTLE HIGH SINCE THERE HAS BEEN LOW BIAS LAST FEW DAYS. WILL INCLUDE AREAS OF FOG SOUTH AND PATCHY FOG NORTH. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... LOW PRESSURE WILL EXIT THROUGH THE MARITIMES WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WITH ANY LINGERING SHOWERS DOWNEAST ENDING DURING THE EVENING. OTHERWISE...CLOUD COVER WILL DIMINISH LATER WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING EAST. HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY WITH MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE EAST THURSDAY NIGHT...WITH A DEVELOPING WARM FRONT ACROSS NORTHERN MAINE. CLOUD COVER WILL INCREASE ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT...PARTICULARLY ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS. SHOWER CHANCES WILL ALSO BEGIN TO INCREASE LATER THURSDAY NIGHT PARTICULARLY ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS. THE WARM FRONT WILL LIFT NORTH OF THE REGION FRIDAY WHILE A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM CHANCES WILL INCREASE FRIDAY AFTERNOON WITH THE APPROACH OF THE COLD FRONT. THE COLD FRONT WILL THEN CROSS THE REGION THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY NIGHT WITH SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM CHANCES THEN DIMINISH LATER FRIDAY NIGHT IN THE WAKE OF THE COLD FRONT. TEMPERATURES WILL BE AT ABOVE NORMAL LEVELS THURSDAY/FRIDAY. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... THE COLD FRONT WILL EXIT THE REGION SATURDAY MORNING...THOUGH CHANCE POPS WILL PERSIST THROUGH SAT EVE AS UPPER LEVEL LOW AND COLD POCKET MOVE SLOWLY THROUGH. RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM WEST ON SUNDAY BRINGING SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...THEN THE NEXT SURFACE LOW AND ASSOCD TROF SWING ACROSS AREA BRINGING CHANCE POPS AGAIN...MAINLY TO NORTHERN AND WESTERN AREAS WHERE INSTABILITY IS GREATEST. && .AVIATION /19Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... NEAR TERM: IFR/MVFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE TO VFR BY LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. SHORT TERM: OCCASIONAL MVFR CONDITIONS COULD LINGER DOWNEAST EARLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY NIGHT. MVFR CONDITIONS COULD BEGIN TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTHERN AREAS LATER THURSDAY NIGHT. OCCASIONAL MVFR CONDITIONS COULD OCCUR ACROSS THE REGION FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT WITH ANY SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS. LOW CLOUDS AND FOG COULD FURTHER RESTRICT CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES ALONG THE DOWNEAST COAST FRIDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY. MVFR CONDITIONS COULD AGAIN OCCUR WITH ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: HAVE USED A BLEND OF THE NAM12 AND GFS40 FOR WINDS. MADE SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT TO LOWER WIND SPEED LATER TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. FOR WAVES: HAVE USED THE WNA/4 TO INITIALIZE GRIDS. WNA GRAPHICS SHOWING ELONGATED FETCH AREA DEVELOPING TO SOUTH- SOUTHEAST OF NEW ENGLAND LATER THIS EVENING. THIS AREA IS OVER WARMER WATER AND GFS ENSEMBLE INDICATED WAVE MODEL WINDS REASONABLE. SPECTRAL SHOWING LONG PERIOD WAVE ARRIVING FROM THIS FETCH LATER WEDNESDAY AT 4 TO 5 FEET SEEMS REASONABLE AND MAY BE UNDER-DONE SO WILL LEAVE WNA WAVE HEIGHTS AS IS FOR NOW. WILL RECOMMEND MONITORING FETCH AREA AS IT DEVELOPS TONIGHT TO COMPARE WAVE MODEL FORECAST TO BUOY/SHIP OBS. WILL INCLUDE WIDESPREAD FOG ACROSS WATERS TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WITH HALF MILE VISIBILITY. WILL NOT ISSUE SCA SINCE WAVE HEIGHTS EXPECT TO BE SLIGHTLY BELOW 5 FEET TONIGHT AND LONG PERIOD SWELL EXPECTED WEDNESDAY WITH MARGINAL SCA CRITERIA. SHORT TERM: WINDS WILL REMAIN BELOW SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. SEAS COULD APPROACH MARGINAL SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY LEVELS AT TIMES IN A LINGERING SWELL WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. VISIBILITIES COULD BE REDUCED IN LINGERING SHOWERS EARLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THEN AGAIN IN SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS AND AREAS OF FOG FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...MIGNONE SHORT TERM...NORCROSS LONG TERM...PJR AVIATION...MIGNONE MARINE...MIGNONE/NORCROSS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 321 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2010 MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-141930- 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- 321 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2010 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 WITH GUSTY WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN ARE POSSIBLE INTO THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ANZ050>052-141930- 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- 321 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2010 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...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MIGNONE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 152 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2010 MEZ001-003-132100- NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK-NORTHERN SOMERSET- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALLAGASH...CLAYTON LAKE...MADAWASKA... FORT KENT...FRENCHVILLE...BAKER LAKE...BILLY-JACK DEPOT 152 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2010 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT NORTHWEST MAINE THROUGH 3 PM... DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATES AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH SAINT PAMPHILE AND THE BIG BLACK RIVER AREA UNTIL 300 PM. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...SMALL HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE COVER IN A SHELTER OR BUILDING. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAN BECOME SEVERE, PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. DOODY/NORCROSS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 539 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2010 MEZ002-132315- NORTHEAST AROOSTOOK- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...PRESQUE ISLE...CARIBOU...VAN BUREN... MARS HILL 539 PM EDT TUE JUL 13 2010 DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR INDICATES AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS JUST WEST OF ASHLAND AND PORTAGE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH AND SMALL HAIL. VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING CAN ALSO BE EXPECTED AS THEY PASS ASHLAND AND PORTAGE AND APPROACH WASHBURN...NEW SWEDEN AND STOCKHOLM BY 700 PM EDT. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE COVER IN A SHELTER OR BUILDING. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAN SOMETIMES BECOME SEVERE... PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. VJN
The Caribou radar (KCBW), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:07 UTC.
6 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Trees and powerlines were toppled on Gardiner Creek Road by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
Numerous trees were toppled...uprooted or snapped along Route 164 between Washburn and Crouseville by wind gusts estimated at 65 mph.
A large tree was toppled on Presque Isle Road by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
Trees and powerlines were toppled around Washburn by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
A large tree was toppled on West Presque Isle Road by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
Several trees were toppled on Grimes Road and Grimes Mill Road by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
Thunderstorms with rainfall rates of up to 2.00 to 3.00 inches per hour produced localized flash flooding. Torrents of running water up to a depth of 6 inches were reported covering portions of the Old Washburn Road.
Thunderstorms with rainfall rates of up to 2.00 to 3.00 inches per hour produced localized flash flooding. Ansden Brook overflowed its banks flooding Strickland Road and spilling debris across the road. Areas of field flooding and erosion were also reported.
Thunderstorms with rainfall rates of up to 2.00 to 3.00 inches per hour produced localized flash flooding around the Caribou area. The Spring Brook overflowed its banks flooding portions of Dow Siding Road. Water and debris were reported across River Road near the intersection of Route 161. A minor washout was also reported on Fenderson Street.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, July 2010
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: 252242, 252246, 252248, 252249, 252252, 252254, 252272, 252280, 252287.