In Maine, See Shocking Images of Bangor & Belfast’s Raging Floods

Was Maine always known for this kind of flooding?

Obviously, I remember the flood of 1987. Mostly because I got a day off from school. As I recall, it was April Fool's Day maybe? I remember thinking it had to be a joke, and that we couldn't possibly be having a day off in April. But sure enough, downtown Bangor was pretty much a disaster area.

On Wednesday, January 10th, Maine saw another bizarre winter storm that brought a ton of snow followed by a ton of rain. This perfect storm, pun fully intended, has been causing major flooding all over the place, statewide. Whether you're inland or on the coast, it doesn't seem to matter.

Flood waters are creeping in.

In Belfast, the sea level rose to frightening levels that actually put local restaurant Nautilus, pretty much under water. And in downtown Bangor, flooding from the Kenduskeag Stream has pretty much shut down a good deal of downtown. Businesses have even been closing down due to rising waters.

Hopefully for most people, they've chosen to stay home and stay safe. It's certainly not the most hospitable environment out there. But there are always a few brave souls who want to see the action. Let's look at what other people have gotten and survey the damage from the warmth and safety of home.

This crazy video was shot in Belfast by Katie Bradshaw and posted on the You Know You Love Belfast... Facebook page. It's astonishing.

In this photo, you can see where the water from the Kenduskeag Stream is nearly touching the bottom of the railroad trestle adjacent to the Sea Dog restaurant. Normally, this would be several feet in the air, as opposed to being nearly flooded.

In this one, you can see the water is also nearly up to the bottom of the bridge that crosses over the stream near Hero's restaurant. It's pretty gnarly down there.

And of course, every time the waters start to rise downtown, the parking lot between the Pickering Square parking garage and the courthouse is flooded right out. This sure isn't the first time...

The rain and wind will quiet substantially over the course of today. However, it could be a while before the waters recede. Until then, consult with your local social media pages or even law enforcement to make sure anywhere you may need to go, is safe to travel to. It's crazy out there...

Here's some sobering reminders of how often this seems to happen in winter...