Slow moving thunderstorms with heavy rain formed beneath an upper low. Localized flash flooding occurred in East Millinocket.
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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.
Slow moving thunderstorms with heavy rain formed beneath an upper low. Localized flash flooding occurred in East Millinocket. An isolated severe thunderstorm produced damaging winds in eastern Aroostook county.
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 Aug 2, 5:45 AM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 645 AM EDT TUE AUG 2 2011 .SYNOPSIS... UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE DROPPING SOUTHEAST OUT OF CENTRAL CANADA WILL SLIDE OVER THE AREA TODAY. THE LOW WILL MOVE SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN FRIDAY. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... UPDATE...ADJUSTED SKY COVER PER LATEST VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY. MADE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO HOURLY TEMPS/DEW POINTS. EXPECT PATCHY FOG TO PERSIST FOR A FEW MORE HOURS. PREVIOUS DISCUSSION CURRENT RADAR IMAGERY SHOWS MOST OF THE SHOWER AND TSTM ACTIVITY HAS MOVED INTO NEW BRUNSWICK AS SHORT WAVE EXITS TO THE EAST. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS UPPER LOW DIVING SOUTHEAST ACROSS QUEBEC PROVINCE TOWARD THE REGION. THE UPPER LOW IS FORECAST TO TRACK ACROSS THE STATE TODAY AND THEN MOVE SOUTHEAST OF THE COAST LATE TONIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL KEEP UNSETTLED WEATHER ACROSS THE REGION TODAY. THE COMBINATION OF THE COLD POOL ALOFT AND DIURNAL HEATING WILL LEAD TO NUMEROUS TO WIDESPREAD SHOWERS DEVELOPING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY ALONG WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS. WILL MENTION THE POSSIBILITY OF SMALL HAIL IN ANY THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WITH THE UPPER LOW AND COLD POOL ALOFT MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. CURRENT THINKING IS THAT ANY THUNDERSTORMS TODAY SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SEVERE LIMITS GIVEN THE WEAK SHEAR ENVIRONMENT AND LIMITED LOW LEVEL HEATING EXPECTED. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DIMINISH THIS EVENING WITH THE LOSE OF DIURNAL HEATING AND AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW CONTINUES TO MOVE SOUTHEAST. HIGH TEMPERATURES TODAY ARE EXPECTED TO BE BELOW NORMAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR WITH UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S NORTH AND LOW TO MID 70S DOWNEAST. LOWS TONIGHT WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE 50S. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW WILL MOVE OFF THE COAST WEDNESDAY MORNING AND CONTINUE TO SLOWLY TRACK ESE TO SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. WITH CYCLONIC FLOW AND COLD AIR ALOFT STILL OVER THE REGION, SHOWERS WILL AGAIN DEVELOP WITH HEATING BY LATE MORNING ACROSS THE REGION. THEN WITH LOSS OF HEATING, SHOWERS WILL DISSIPATE AFTER SUNSET WEDNESDAY EVENING. BY THURSDAY UPPER LOW WILL BE WELL SOUTH OF NOVA SCOTIA AS UPPER RIDGE APPROACHING FROM THE WEST. HOWEVER, MODELS STILL INDICATE ENOUGH INSTABILITY WITH DEPARTING LOW FOR SHOWERS TO REDEVELOP LATE THURSDAY MORNING BUT COVERAGE WILL BE MUCH LESS THAN ON WEDNESDAY. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE MAINLY LESS THAN A HALF INCH BOTH DAYS EXCEPT FOR LOCALIZE HIGHER AMOUNTS IN ANY HEAVIER SHOWERS. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY/... UPPER RIDGE FINALLY BUILDS ACROSS THE REGION THURSDAY NIGHT PUTTING AN END TO DIURNAL SHOWERS. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL CREST THE STATE FRIDAY WITH PLENTY OF SUNSHINE AND COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURES. NEXT TROUGH WILL APPROACH FROM THE WEST DURING THE WEEKEND INCREASING THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. && .AVIATION /12Z TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... NEAR TERM: MVFR/IFR IS POSSIBLE EARLY THIS MORNING IN PATCHY FOG...OTHERWISE MAINLY VFR IS EXPECTED TODAY. SHOWERS AND SCT TSTMS WILL DEVELOP LATER THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. VSBYS/CIGS MAY BE BRIEFLY REDUCED IN AN HEAVIER SHOWERS/TSTMS. ANY LINGERING SHOWERS/TSTMS WILL DIMINISH TONIGHT WITH MAINLY VFR. SHORT TERM: VFR CONDITIONS EXCEPT FOR BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR CONDITIONS IN ANY AFTERNOON SHOWERS BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: WINDS/SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW SCA LEVELS TODAY AND TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD FOG WILL REDUCE VSBYS BELOW 1 NM IN FOG EARLY THIS MORNING. SHORT TERM: WINDS AND SEAS BELOW SCA CRITERIA WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...DUDA SHORT TERM...FOSTER LONG TERM...FOSTER AVIATION...DUDA MARINE...DUDA/FOSTER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 941 AM EDT TUE AUG 2 2011 MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-031345- 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- 941 AM EDT TUE AUG 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL MAINE...NORTH CENTRAL MAINE...NORTHERN MAINE...SOUTHEAST MAINE AND WEST CENTRAL MAINE. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SMALL HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR CAN BE EXPECTED IN ANY STRONG THUNDERSTORM. THIS HEAVY RAINFALL COULD PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING ESPECIALLY IN AREAS THAT ALREADY RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL FROM MONDAY'S EVENT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED INTO TONIGHT. ANZ050>052-031345- 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- 941 AM EDT TUE AUG 2 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE HAIL AND STRONG WIND GUSTS ALONG WITH DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED. HEWITT
The Caribou radar (KCBW), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:15 UTC.
1 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Slow moving thunderstorms producing up to 2.00 inches of rain per hour created flash flooding in East Millinocket. Water depths of up to a foot were reported on Main Street which was closed for a time.
A tree was toppled on to power lines on Barrett Road by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, August 2011
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: 339880, 339882.