The Wildest Weather Events Ever Recorded in Maine

Maine sees extreme weather, but some storms are so bad that they earn a special place in history.

Maine Weather Extremes Cause Power Outages and Stranded Motorists

somchaisom, Getty Stock/ThinkStock

If you live long enough in Maine, you develop stories about the worst storms you ever experienced. It could be memorable because of long power outages, like the Christmas week my husband and I were without electricity. That's the week we got our generator, and we've been thankful for it ever since.

Then there was the March storm in the early 1980s when I got stranded at my Mom's house because they shut down Pearl Street in Bangor, where I lived. I got up the next morning and drove to Portland, past abandoned tractor trailers on I-95, because I had a flight to New Jersey.

In Recent Years, Rain and Wind Have Played a Big Part in Maine's Weather Extremes

Maine's extreme storms aren't always about snow. High winds in recent years have taken down trees and knocked out electricity for days. It can even get pretty hot in the summertime, often surprising tourists who expect it's always cold this close to Canada.

Get our free mobile app

If You Don't Like the Weather in Maine....You Know the Rest

An old saying in Maine goes: 'If you don't like the weather in Maine, wait a minute.' It's so true because our climate is always changing, bringing us more rain in the winter than we used to get, hotter summers that I remember as a kid, and higher snowfall amounts in Southern Maine rather than Aroostook County.

Here are some of the memorable storms from Maine's past. See how many of them you experienced. I bet you have some great stories to tell about them.