Lewiston

A wind and rain storm with gusts over 60 mph knocked out power to more than 62,000 Maine customers Friday; over 20,000 were still without electricity Saturday. The storm downed trees, disrupted schools and flights, and produced a 76 mph buoy gust near Matinicus Rock.

Subzero temperatures were recorded across southern Maine early Tuesday, including -3°F in Portland and as low as -10°F in Cornish, the National Weather Service said. The cold snap, close to record levels, is linked to an early-season polar vortex disruption and a blocking high over the Pacific.

An arctic cold front drove overnight lows to record levels in Maine, with Portland hitting 2°F and Augusta 3°F and wind chills below zero. Communities opened warming centers as forecasters warned wind chills could drop to minus 30°F in parts of the state.

Despite late-October rain, extreme drought has expanded across southern and coastal Maine, now covering nearly 43% of the state, including Portland. The National Weather Service says another foot of precipitation is needed before soils freeze to substantially ease conditions.

North Yarmouth, Maine removed about 80 ash trees from Baston Park after an emerald ash borer infestation was detected. The wood will be processed by the Cumberland Wood Bank for local heating under state-advised precautions.

More than 5% of Maine is now in extreme drought and about 58% in severe drought, covering all of southern and coastal areas. Forecasters expect little to no rain through early next week, with potential showers later but uncertainty about meaningful relief.

A powerful storm combining an atmospheric river and a bomb cyclone is causing severe weather, including potential flooding and power outages, across the U.S. East Coast.

Powerful storm surges, coinciding with the monthly astronomical high tide, are flooding low-lying streets in Portland and other coastal communities.

The Maine Emergency Management Agency and other state agencies were working with local safety officials on cleanup and recovery.

State scientists are testing the water for a toxic blue-green algae bloom at Twin Brook after tests showed 2 dogs had algae-related toxicity after swimming there Aug. 21.

The rate of dead seal strandings in Maine is about three times the normal rate for the summer and is close to 60. Most of the seals that have been stranded this summer have been found dead, NOAA said. The dead seals have included gray seals and harbor seals.

Updated and more accurate federal maps put a cluster of homes near Capisic Brook in a zone that faces once-in-a-century risks.

The city had 9.53 inches of rain last month, surpassed only by the 10.84 inches that fell in July 1915.

Climate change is keeping temperatures higher in the fall, setting up browntail-moth caterpillars to boom in summer. Their hairs are barbed and hollow and there’s a reservoir of a toxin inside.

A recent spate of attacks on humans and pets by foxes in Topsham may be in part due to a new strain of rabies. As of April 18, there have been five such attacks in Topsham this year. State Veterinarian Michele Walsh theorizes a rabies strain more associated with raccoons has begun infecting gray foxes.

An endangered species of whale that lives off the East Coast is having its best season for new babies in several years.

Augusta, Hallowell, Gardiner, see waters rise due to rain, melting snow following storm.

A potent storm system hit Maine on Monday with heavy rain and wind gusts close to 60 mph that caused more than 100,000 power outages. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses across the state lost power Monday night as the wind brought branches down on power lines. There were multiple reports of trees falling into roads in Lisbon, Durham, Bath, Woolwich and Bar Harbor, among other places.

Exterminators are fielding more calls about rodent activity. Rat-related calls are up 20 percent from last year; include mice and calls are up 57 percent.

Julie Dimperio Holowach, a recently retired fashion executive from New York City, was swimming near Bailey Island on Monday afternoon when she was attacked.