A hot a humid air mass in place for several days culminated in a severe thunderstorm event that affected coastal Maine. Wind damage was the main result.
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 GYX wrote it up.
A hot a humid air mass in place for several days culminated in a severe thunderstorm event that affected coastal Maine. Wind damage was the main result.
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 Jul 31, 2:09 PM EST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Gray ME 309 PM EDT Wed Jul 31 2019 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front will drop south through the region this evening and will push offshore overnight. High pressure will build in from the west Thursday and will shift offshore southeast of the region on Friday. A weak cold front will approach from the north Friday night and will drop south into northern zones on Saturday. The front will continue south and offshore Saturday night. High pressure will build in from the west Sunday and Sunday night and will shift offshore on Monday. A warm front will move through northern zones Monday night and early Tuesday. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... Focus is mainly thru the evening with active convection ongoing. Best instability remains confined to areas near the coast...and shear continues to be marginal at around 25 kts. I still think the best chance for severe storms will be SE NH and SWrn ME...with more isolated events outside that area. A MCV has maintained convection for much of the night until now...and as storms merge and cold pool builds there may be a wind threat for a small area of SE NH. Otherwise convection farther N and W...especially over the Champlain Valley...is tied more to upper forcing...and should weaken with Ewd extent. Tonight showers and any remaining storms dissipate and/or move off the coast. Primary driver of intensity is daytime heating...so I expect they lose their punch fairly quickly after sunset. Areas of valley fog will be possible...especially where any recent rain has fallen. The front will likely take until Thu to mix down completely...so I anticipate another muggy night near the coast. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY/... Mostly quiet day behind the front. Along the sea breeze front there may be enough convergence to pop some isolated showers...but kept PoP at less than 20 percent. Most notably dewpoints will begin to fall into the lower 60s thru the day as we mix down some drier air aloft. && .LONG TERM /THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Fairly quiet in the extended forecast with just a few weak fronts moving through the region... High pressure will continue to build in from the west Thursday night producing mostly clear skies and light winds. Lows will range through the 50s. High pressure will hold over the region on Friday with seasonable temperatures and comfortable humidity. Looking for mostly sunny skies and light winds turning onshore at the coast. Highs generally top out in the lower to mid 80s. Fair weather will continue Friday night as high pressure drifts off to the southeast and a weak frontal boundary approaches from the north. Lows will range from the mid 50s to lower 60s. Cold front will gradually settle south into northern zones on Saturday. This will bring a chance of afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms to northeast zones but limited dynamics and moisture should keep this activity widely scattered. Remainder of the forecast area will see mostly sunny skies and highs once again in the lower to mid 80s. Cold front will drop south through the region Saturday night with little fanfare other than a few passing clouds and should be offshore by morning. Lows will range from the mid 50s north to the lower 60s south. High pressure will build in from the west Sunday through Sunday night and will shift offshore to the southeast on Monday. Looking for mostly sunny skies both days with highs from the mid 70s to mid 80s. Lows Sunday night will range through the 50s. A warm front moving through southern Quebec will bring increasing clouds Monday evening and a chance of showers in far northern and eastern zones overnight. Lows will range from the lower 50s north to the lower 60s south. Heat and humidity will make a return to the northeast on Tuesday as the warm front pushes east of the region and southwest flow kicks in. Highs will range through the lower to mid 80s. && .AVIATION /18Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY/... Short Term...Local IFR or lower in SHRA/TSRA this afternoon and evening. The best chances are across Srn NH terminals where I have TEMPO groups for TSRA. Otherwise there will be valley fog tonight especially in areas that receive some rainfall...with local LIFR conditions expected. VFR conditions expected Thu. Sea breezes may try and push inland for the very near coastal terminals of PSM...PWM...RKD. Long Term...VFR Thursday night through Monday. && .MARINE... Short Term...Winds and seas will remain below SCA thresholds. First hazard will be thunderstorms this evening...some of which may contain strong or gusty winds...especially off the Seacoast towards Jeffreys Ledge. Second hazard will be marine fog...which is much more uncertain. Best chance will be around Penobscot Bay...with winds turning off shore and likely keeping it farther into the Gulf of ME elsewhere. Long Term...No problems noted. && .GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. NH...None. MARINE...None. && Legro/Sinsabaugh
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Gray ME 237 PM EDT Wed Jul 31 2019 MEZ007>009-012>014-018>028-NHZ001>015-011845- Northern Oxford-Northern Franklin-Central Somerset-Southern Oxford- Southern Franklin-Southern Somerset-Interior York- Interior Cumberland-Androscoggin-Kennebec-Interior Waldo- Coastal York-Coastal Cumberland-Sagadahoc-Lincoln-Knox-Coastal Waldo- Northern Coos-Southern Coos-Northern Grafton-Northern Carroll- Southern Grafton-Southern Carroll-Sullivan-Merrimack-Belknap- Strafford-Cheshire-Eastern Hillsborough-Interior Rockingham- Coastal Rockingham-Western And Central Hillsborough- 237 PM EDT Wed Jul 31 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Maine, south central Maine, southwest Maine, west central Maine, western Maine, New Hampshire, central New Hampshire, northern New Hampshire and southern New Hampshire. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Isolated strong to severe thunderstorms are possible this afternoon into this evening. Localized heavy rain and damaging winds are possible. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. ANZ150>154-011845- Coastal Waters from Stonington, ME to Port Clyde, ME out 25 NM- Penobscot Bay- Coastal Waters from Port Clyde, ME to Cape Elizabeth, ME out 25 NM- Casco Bay- Coastal Waters from Cape Elizabeth, ME to Merrimack River, MA out 25 NM- 237 PM EDT Wed Jul 31 2019 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Atlantic coastal waters. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight. Isolated afternoon and evening thunderstorms may produce localized strong winds. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
348 PM EDT WED JUL 31 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0332 PM TSTM WND DMG 2 WSW EPPING 43.02N 71.11W
07/31/2019 ROCKINGHAM NH SHERIFF OFFICE
TREES ON WIRES ON SHIRKIN RD AND BEEDE HILL ROAD IN
FREEMONT.
&&
EVENT NUMBER GYX1903960
BROWNPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
356 PM EDT WED JUL 31 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0354 PM HAIL EPPING 43.03N 71.08W
07/31/2019 M1.25 INCH ROCKINGHAM NH CO-OP OBSERVER
EPPING COOP REPORTED HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL
&&
EVENT NUMBER GYX1903961
BROWNPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
400 PM EDT WED JUL 31 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0355 PM HAIL 2 NW PORTSMOUTH 43.09N 70.79W
07/31/2019 M1.50 INCH ROCKINGHAM NH TRAINED SPOTTER
&&
EVENT NUMBER GYX1903962
LEGROPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
401 PM EDT WED JUL 31 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0315 PM HAIL EPPING 43.03N 71.08W
07/31/2019 M1.25 INCH ROCKINGHAM NH CO-OP OBSERVER
EPPING COOP REPORTED HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL
&&
CORRECTED EVENT TIME
EVENT NUMBER GYX1903961
BROWNPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
403 PM EDT WED JUL 31 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0355 PM HAIL 2 NW PORTSMOUTH 43.09N 70.79W
07/31/2019 M1.75 INCH ROCKINGHAM NH TRAINED SPOTTER
NUMEROUS QUARTER TO HALF DOLLAR SIZED HAIL STONES.
LARGEST STONES WERE GOLF BALL SIZE.
&&
CORRECTED EVENT...REMARKS
EVENT NUMBER GYX1903962
LEGROThe Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 88 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:10 UTC.
5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Multiple trees downed near the York Toll Plaza. Possibly resulting from a microburst.
Trees down blocking Southside Road in York.
Trees downed on River Road in Bowdoinham.
Numerous trees downed in Waldoboro.
Trees and wires downed on Depot Street in Union.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, July 2019
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: 847001, 847002, 847003, 847004, 847005.