An upper level disturbance crossed the region during the afternoon and evening of the 12th in advance of an approaching cold front. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and persisted into the evening.
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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.
An upper level disturbance crossed the region during the afternoon and evening of the 12th in advance of an approaching cold front. Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and persisted into the evening. Some of the thunderstorms reached severe levels producing damaging winds.
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 12, 3:18 PM EST, 2 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Caribou ME 418 PM EDT Tue Jul 12 2022 .SYNOPSIS... A cold front will approach tonight, cross the region Wednesday, then exit Thursday. High pressure will build toward the region Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, a front will approach from the northwest. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... 20z Convective Sitrep: Thunderstorms and towering cumulus are noted on satellite imagery across the North Woods with strong to severe thunderstorms further west into southern Quebec and New Hampshire. Mesoanalysis shows around 45 kts of effective bulk shear across most of the area, with an area of around 1500 j/kg of surface based CAPE building over the Central Highlands into the North Woods ahead of the cold front. Thunderstorms will move into this unstable and strongly sheared environment over the next few hours, with potential for a few severe storms to develop. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued in coordination with SPC for Somerset and Piscataquis Counties. Some of the severe threat may also exist across portions of Aroostook and Penobscot Counties this evening. Conditions will be monitored to see if expansion of the watch is needed. Overview Discussion: Showers and thunderstorms will quickly diminish in coverage later this evening with loss of daytime heating. Isolated showers may linger after midnight, particularly across northern Maine where the cold front will be moving through along with a 500mb shortwave trough. Cloud cover and slow progress of the front will not allow lows to fall much again with lows in the upper 50s to low to mid 60s. The front will slowly progress across Downeast Maine and become less defined as it moves over the coastal waters on Wednesday. Enough low level instability will exist for some isolated showers Wednesday afternoon, mainly across central areas. However, a strong capping inversion around 700mb should limit the potential for thunder. High temperatures will range from the mid 70s across the north to low to mid 80s for Bangor and Downeast Maine. && .SHORT TERM /WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY/... Wednesday night will be fairly quiet with most of the showers moving off to the east. Early Thursday, the upper level trough will shift eastward, bringing a stronger area of instability aloft through on Thursday. This will trigger another round of showers and thunderstorms Thursday afternoon and evening. Although the atmospheric setup is less conducive than the Tuesday round of storms, there are a few factors that bear watching. An upper level jet will still be in place, leading to 35 to 40 knots of 0-6km bulk shear over the Central Highlands. PW content will be on the downward trend, but still be over an inch, adding to mid-level instability. Timing once again will be key, as daytime heating will be needed to push CAPE values up in the 1000+ range. It looks like this could happen Thursday afternoon and evening, mainly from the Central Highlands eastward to the Canadian border. Again, the limiting factor would be lack of daytime heating due to residual cloud cover from the showers beginning Thursday morning. This would reduce both coverage and any potential for severe thunderstorms. After the showers end Thursday evening, the upper level trough will shift eastward and weak ridging will move in. Friday will have improving conditions across the forecast area, although a few showers will linger along the eastern border through mid- day. && .LONG TERM /FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY/... Looks like a quiet weather pattern heading into the weekend with a more zonal flow aloft setting up across the area. A short wave approaching from Quebec late Sunday could bring showers Sunday night and Monday morning, mainly across the northern tier. Drier weather returns for early next week. It also appears that we will be in store for a warming trend heading into early next week. This is supported by CPC's 8 to 14 day outlook which is indicating the odds tilted toward above normal temperatures heading into the latter half of July. && .AVIATION /20Z TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... NEAR TERM: Predominantly VFR through Wednesday. Tempo MVFR/IFR this evening with showers and scattered thunderstorms, mainly from KBGR to KHUL northwest. Some of the storms may be strong to severe with briefly stronger winds and hail. S wind gusts to 30 kts late this afternoon will become W at 5 to 15 kts tonight through Wednesday. LLWS is possible at Downeast terminals this evening. SHORT TERM: Weds night...VFR. Light N winds. Thu and Thu night...MVFR in -SHRA. Possible TS across the central region. NW winds 10 to 15 knots. Fri-Sat night...VFR. Light winds. Sunday...VFR trending MVFR in -SHRA by afternoon. W to SW winds 10 to 20 kts. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM: Wind gusts around 25 kts will diminish after midnight, but seas will remain elevated into early Wednesday morning. A Small Craft Advisory continues through 6 AM. Winds and seas diminish below SCA levels for the day Wednesday. Patchy fog will reduce visibility at times tonight into Wednesday morning. SHORT TERM: Winds and waves will remain below SCA criteria through the end of the period. && .TIDES/COASTAL FLOODING... Prolonged southwesterly to southerly flow will continue in the Gulf of Maine through tomorrow morning. The combination of high tide and wave run up will peak this evening, possibly causing minor splashover along southern aspects of the coastline. Winds are expected to diminish and become more northwesterly on Wednesday, reducing wave runup for the evening tide cycle. This will make splashover less of a concern, although tides will remain high through the rest of the week. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...None. MARINE...Small Craft Advisory until 6 AM EDT Wednesday for ANZ050>052. && Near Term...MStrauser Short Term...LF Long Term...LF Aviation...MStrauser/LF Marine...MStrauser/LF Tides/Coastal Flooding...LF
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Caribou ME 329 PM EDT Tue Jul 12 2022 MEZ001-002-005-006-011-015-016-029-032-131930- Northwest Aroostook-Northeast Aroostook-Northern Penobscot- Southeast Aroostook-Central Penobscot-Southern Penobscot- Interior Hancock-Coastal Hancock-Northern Washington- 329 PM EDT Tue Jul 12 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Central Highlands Maine, Coastal DownEast Maine, Far Eastern Maine, Far Northern Maine, Interior DownEast Maine and Penobscot Valley Maine. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Thunderstorms are expected this afternoon into the evening, mostly northwest of a line from Houlton, to Millinocket, to Dover-Foxcroft. Some of the storms could be strong to possibly severe with strong gusty winds, hail, and heavy rain. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MEZ003-004-010-031-131930- Northern Somerset-Northern Piscataquis-Central Piscataquis- Southern Piscataquis- 329 PM EDT Tue Jul 12 2022 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 463 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM EDT THIS EVENING... This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Central Highlands Maine and North Woods Maine. .DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight. Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the Internet for more information about the following hazards. Severe Thunderstorm Watch. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. Hazardous weather is not expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. ANZ050>052-131930- Coastal Waters from Eastport, ME to Schoodic Point, ME out 25 NM- Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME out 25 NM- Intra Coastal Waters from Schoodic Point, ME to Stonington, ME- 329 PM EDT Tue Jul 12 2022 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... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures. MEZ017-030-131930- Central Washington-Coastal Washington- 329 PM EDT Tue Jul 12 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for Coastal DownEast Maine and Interior DownEast Maine. .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... Weather spotters are encouraged to report significant weather conditions according to Standard Operating Procedures.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Caribou ME
352 PM EDT Tue Jul 12 2022
MEZ001-004-122030-
Northern Piscataquis ME-Northwest Aroostook ME-
352 PM EDT Tue Jul 12 2022
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern
Piscataquis and western Aroostook Counties through 430 PM EDT...
At 352 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 10
miles northwest of Tamway, or 11 miles south of Clayton Lake, moving
east at 35 mph.
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 30 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Churchill Dam.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 900 PM EDT for
north central Maine.
&&
LAT...LON 4635 6956 4651 6964 4682 6896 4649 6882
TIME...MOT...LOC 1952Z 250DEG 31KT 4645 6949
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH
LaFlashThe Caribou radar (KCBW), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:21 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Several large softwood trees were snapped in the Sandy Bay area of Moosehead Lake by wind gusts estimated at up to 60 mph. The time is estimated.
Two large pine trees were toppled on a camp by wind gusts estimated at up to 60 mph. The time is estimated.
A pontoon boat was flipped on Long Lake...with several docks also flipped or thrown. A fishing shack was destroyed...with shingles torn from several roofs. Several trees were uprooted or snapped around the lake. Wind gusts were estimated at up to 70 mph. The time is estimated.
Around 2 dozen softwood trees were snapped at the base or uprooted...along with several hardwood trees. A small shed was destroyed...with shingles also torn from the roof of a house. Wind gusts were estimated at up to 70 mph. The time is estimated.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Maine in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, July 2022
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: 1044830, 1044835, 1044843, 1044844.