From the Editor: Rain, snow, flooding all signs of epic winter
Amid the “Grinch” storm of Dec. 18, Central Maine Power said it had dispatched more cleanup crews than were in Maine after the infamous ice storm of 1998.
By Dec. 20, floodwater levels on the Kennebec River in Skowhegan were deemed the worst since a historic flood in 1987.
During the coastal storm of Jan. 13, the combination of an astronomical high tide and storm surge created the highest tide-related water level since the epic blizzard of February 1978.
This winter is already making itself known, and we still have at least two months to go.
Mainers have seen docks and fishhouses ripped up along the working waterfront. We’ve seen roads and infrastructure ripped by flooding at ski resorts. We’ve seen waves breaking over sea walls in beach communities, wrecked lobster boats and even a crew of canoeists paddle past the flooded Harbor Fish Market on Custom House Pier in Portland.
We’ve also seen a great deal of resilience, as Mainers chip in to help those affected.
In Castine, which was reeling from a Jan. 10 coastal storm, business owners sent out a call for help in advance of the Jan. 13 storm. Volunteers poured into town to fill sandbags and help protect Eaton’s Boatyard and other establishments.
Around Maine, first responders blocked off dangerous roads and made rescues, while cleanup crews cut up fallen trees and restrung power lines.
Groundhog Day is coming up quickly, but we know we’re in for at least a couple more months of this. The winter of 2023-24 is already being remembered with epic storms in 1978, 1987 and 1998.
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