With Christmas weekend approaching, Maine braces for winter storm Elliott

File Photo / Peter Van Allen The Portland Pier was closed as a 2018 nor'easter flooded many of the city's waterfront streets.

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By Peter Van Allen

Get out the flashlights. Recharge the batteries. Gas up the generator.

Maine’s public utilities are issuing warnings about Friday’s storm.

Winter storm Elliott, as it has been dubbed, is sweeping across the nation, with heavy snow, high winds and, behind the storm, bitter cold. Some 1,200 flights have been cancelled so far.

Most of Maine is expected to get rain, but plenty of it — 1 to 2 inches over 24 hours, with temperatures in the 50s, according to the National Weather Service. Along the coast, winds are expected to gust up to 60 mph, with seas of 18 to 23 feet.

Low-lying areas along the coast are expected to have flooding of 2 to 3 feet, with the peak coming in with the late-morning high tide. Melting snow and frozen ground will contribute to flooding issues.

Even ski resorts will start with rain, though the forecast for Sugarloaf calls for heavy rain followed by 5 to 8 inches of snow, as Friday temperatures drop from a high of 44 to 8 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Presque Isle can expect rain and high winds, before changing over to snow, with 1 to 3 inches predicted.

"It seems like we’re getting some of everything with this one: snow, rain, high winds, and freezing temperatures," said Paul Merrill, spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation. "Right now, we’re preparing our crews for the different impacts, depending on where they are in the state. We’re ready to deal with strong winds that may bring down trees and power lines as well as rain that may cause flooding. As temperatures drop, we’re prepared to treat road surfaces as needed."

Merrill cautions the public to stay off the roads if they can during the storm. If they have to travel, leave plenty of time and pay attention. "Be extra careful around our crews and other front-line workers who are out there doing important work," he said.

The storm comes at a peak travel time in the holiday season, with Christmas on Sunday.

“We are highly aware that we are days away from Christmastime and that many are making plans to spend time with their families this weekend,” said Alec O'Meara, media relations manager for Unitil, which has natural gas customers in Maine and natural gas and electricity customers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. “We have been watching this storm forecast unfold throughout the week, and we urge all of our customers to take into account the potential for this wind event to cause disruptions, and to plan accordingly.”

O'Meara recommends customers be ready with:

Flashlights and fresh batteries
Portable chargers and supplemental batteries for mobile devices
Bottled water, canned foods and a manual can opener
A first aid kit.

Some electricity customers in Maine are just getting power back from last weekend's storm, which dumped up to 2 feet of wet snow in mountainous areas.

In preparation for Friday's storm, Central Maine Power said Wednesday it will have 300 contractor crews and 220 tree crews positioned around the state.

“We expect that the high wind gusts forecasted to impact the entire service area, with especially strong gusts along the coast, will cause outages on Friday. We will be making roads and public areas safe from downed wires and trees and restoring power as quickly as we can. We all know it is a holiday weekend and CMP is planning to work through it," said Adam Desrosiers, CMP's vice president electric operations and a recent Mainebiz "40 Under 40" honoree.

In preparation for every storm, CMP works closely with local emergency management officials to ensure local needs are prioritized for road and debris clearing, making sure emergency vehicles are not blocked by downed lines, the utility said.

Customers can get storm preparation tips and a checklist on the CMP website.

Like CMP, Versant Power said it has positioned crews, contractors and tree crews throughout its service territory to address damage and repairs, as needed.

"We are anticipating and preparing for a multi-day restoration process due to the extent of damage high winds may cause. We remind everyone to leave trees and limbs that are in contact with lines as is — do not remove them," Tina Morrill, a spokesperson for Versant, said.