Slow moving thunderstorms with very heavy rain developed along a nearly stationary frontal boundary beneath an upper trof during the afternoon and evening of the 23rd. A severe thunderstorm developed over Brownville during the late afternoon and evening with damaging winds.
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.
Slow moving thunderstorms with very heavy rain developed along a nearly stationary frontal boundary beneath an upper trof during the afternoon and evening of the 23rd. A severe thunderstorm developed over Brownville during the late afternoon and evening with damaging winds. The storm then remained nearly stationary for several hours producing extremely heavy rain. Localized rainfall totals of 6.00 to 8.00 inches were reported in Brownvile over several hours during the evening. Additional rain then fell through the remainder of the night. Flash flooding produced significant damage around Brownville. A fatality occurred during the overnight hours when a car crashed into a gully on a road which had been washed out. Roads were also washed out and damaged in the Milo area with basements flooded.
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 Jun 23, 2:20 PM EST, 2 hours 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 320 PM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012 .SYNOPSIS... LOW PRESSURE WILL LIFT NORTHEAST ALONG THE COAST THIS EVENING AND THEN INTO THE MARITIMES TONIGHT. A WEAK RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD TOWARD THE REGION SUNDAY AND INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. A LARGE AND SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION LATER MONDAY AND KEEP THE WEATHER PATTERN DAMP AND UNSETTLED FOR MUCH OF THE UPCOMING WEEK. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/... A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE ALONG THE MID COAST OF MAINE WILL TRACK NORTHEAST TONIGHT WHILE AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH CROSSES THE REGION. EXPECT SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING BEFORE GRADUALLY DIMINISHING LATER TONIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVE EAST. PATCHY FOG WILL DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN TONIGHT WITH ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE REMAINING IN PLACE. LOW TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL GENERALLY BE AROUND 60 DEGREES IN MOST LOCATIONS. WEAK LOW PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY MOVE ACROSS THE MARITIMES SUNDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MOVES EAST. SOME LINGERING SHOWERS ARE STILL POSSIBLE THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING BUT SOME IMPROVEMENT IS EXPECTED BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS A WEAK MID LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS WITH AT LEAST SOME PARTIAL SUNSHINE EXPECTED. HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM THE UPPER 60S TO THE MID 70S ACROSS THE REGION. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... A BRIEF PERIOD OF DRY WEATHER WILL MOVE IN FOR SUNDAY NIGHT UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES WITH LOWS IN THE 55 TO 60 RANGE. RAIN AND SHOWERS IN ASSOCIATION WITH A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL LOW WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE DAY ON MONDAY. ENOUGH DAYTIME HEATING SHOULD TAKE PLACE OVER NORTHERN PARTS OF THE FORECAST AREA TO ALLOW FOR THE CHANCE OF SOME THUNDERSTORMS AS WELL. VERY UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WITH RAIN AND SHOWERS, HEAVY AT TIMES, WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION FOR MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY AS THE LOW REMAINS STALLED OVER THE AREA AND A RICH STREAM OF MOISTURE IS DRAWN IN OFF THE ATLANTIC. SOME IMPROVEMENT IS POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE CWA BY LATER TUESDAY AS THE HEAVIEST AND STEADIEST OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL TEND TO BECOME CONFINED TO CENTRAL AND NORTHERN AREAS. WHILE IT IS STILL A COUPLE DAYS OUT AND MODELS HAVE YET TO RESOLVE THE FINER DETAILS OF THIS SYSTEM EARLY INDICATIONS ARE THAT TWO DAY RAINFALL AMOUNTS COULD BE 1 TO 2 INCHES, POSSIBLY HIGHER. TEMPERATURES FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY WILL BE ON THE COOL SIDE DUE TO THE CLOUD COVER AND RAIN..RUNNING SEVERAL DEGREES BELOW LATE JUNE AVERAGES. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY/... STRONG UPPER LEVEL AND SURFACE LOW OVER THE STATE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PERIOD. EXPECT THE UPPER LOW TO REMAIN OVER THE REGION INTO THURSDAY AS THE SURFACE LOW WEAKENS. UPPER LOW WEAKENS AND MOVES OFF TO THE NORTHEAST THURSDAY NIGHT...HOWEVER ANOTHER UPPER LOW APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHWEST FRIDAY. EXPECT BOTH OF THESE SYSTEM TO RESULT IN UNSETTLED CONDITIONS THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. WILL INITIALIZE ALL GRIDS WITH GMOS. HAVE MADE SOME MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO POP AND SKY GRIDS. && .AVIATION /19Z SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... NEAR TERM: EXPECT CONDITIONS TO VARY BETWEEN VFR/MVFR THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING AND THEN TO IFR LATER TONIGHT IN PATCH FOG. IFR/MVFR IS EXPECTED THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WITH CONDITIONS RETURNING TO VFR BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. SHORT TERM: SOME FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE SUNDAY NIGHT AND MAY RESULT IN A PERIOD OF MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS. RAIN AND SHOWERS WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION FROM WEST TO EAST THROUGH THE DAY MONDAY WITH ALL TERMINAL EXPECTED TO BE DOWN TO IFR CONDITIONS BY MONDAY NIGHT. PREDOMINATELY MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS LOOK TO CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY AS THE LOW LINGERS. EXPECT MVFR CONDITIONS TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: WIND/SEAS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW SCA LEVELS THROUGH SUNDAY. PATCHY FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO 1 TO 3 NM TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY. SHORT TERM: SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO RISE LATER MONDAY INTO TUESDAY AS SE WINDS INCREASE. SEAS COULD REACH 6 TO 7 FEET AND A FEW WIND GUSTS COULD APPROACH 25 KTS. THUS AN SCA REMAINS A STRONG POSSIBILITY FOR THIS TIME FRAME. FOG IS ALSO EXPECTED TO RETURN MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...NONE. MARINE...NONE. && NEAR TERM...DUDA SHORT TERM...FITZSIMMONS LONG TERM...MIGNONE AVIATION...DUDA MARINE...DUDA/FITZSIMMONS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 323 AM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012 MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-240730- 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- 323 AM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012 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. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. ANZ050>052-240730- 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- 323 AM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 445 PM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012 MEZ004-010-031-232245- NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS-CENTRAL PISCATAQUIS-SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BAXTER ST PARK...CHAMBERLAIN LAKE... CHURCHILL DAM...MOUNT KATAHDIN...GREENVILLE...MONSON... BLANCHARD...DOVER-FOXCROFT...MILO...GUILFORD 445 PM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012 ...SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL AFFECT THE REGION THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON... AT 445 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS INDICATING AN AREA OF SHOWERS EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO PISCATAQUIS COUNTY. THESE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST ACROSS PISCATAQUIS COUNTY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH...AND SMALL HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS ACTIVITY. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT THE MOOSEHEAD LAKE AND BAXTER STATE PARK REGIONS THROUGH 630 PM. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY DUDA
The Caribou radar (KCBW), 125 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:05 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Several trees were toppled on Route 11 by wind gusts estimated at 60 mph.
A nearly stationary thunderstorm produced 6.00 to 8.00 inches of rain in less than 4 hours in Brownville. These very heavy rains produced severe flash flooding from Brownville to Milo. Numerous roads in the Brownville and Milo areas were heavily damaged or completely washed away along with several bridges resulting in road closures. Roads heavily damaged or washed out in spots around Brownville included Route 11...Church Street...High Street...Main Road...Pleasant River Road...Quarry Road...Barnard Road...Stickney Hill Road and Lakeview Road. Gullies on some roads were 5 to 10 feet deep and 20 to 30 feet wide. A nearly 200 yard stretch of Stickney Hill was washed on to Stickney Hill Road. Damage to roads was so extensive that the town of Brownville was nearly isolated for several hours. A parking lot along Route 11 was completely washed away. The railroad tracks around Brownville were undercut and damaged in several locations. Homes...businesses and vehicles in Brownvile were flooded. Significant damage occurred to the infrastructure around Brownville with the entire town losing power. Water rescues were required for several individuals at the height of the flooding. Flooding was also reported around Milo with several roads damaged and closed. Basement flooding was also extensive in Milo. A motorist was killed (indirect fatality) around 5 AM Sunday morning when his car crashed into a gully...5 feet deep and 20 to 30 feet wide...which had been cut into the Pleasant River Road by the flash flooding. The driver was killed from the impact of the accident and not drowning.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Piscataquis | 2012-06-24 | 29 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, June 2012
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: 388458, 388459.