The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called the El Nino of 1998 the “climatic event of the century.”

It affected winter weather nationwide, and it helped to spawn one of the worst ice storms on record.

Here’s a thumbnail reminder of the great Ice Storm of 1998.

Jan. 6

Rain begins with temps ranging from the high 20s to the low 30s.

Jan. 7

More than 10,000 homes and businesses are without electrical power. CMP and Bangor Hydro send crews out. The National Weather Service warns of the potential for severe icing as the storm that had battered New York state and much of Quebec grips Maine. Schools and some businesses close early.

Jan. 8

Electrical outages grow to 165,000 homes and businesses in the CMP service area alone. The utility has 90 crews making repairs, augmented by 20 more from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Gov. Angus King declares a state of emergency; 40 shelters open statewide.

Jan. 9

Outages affect 291,500 utility customers – an estimated four out of five Mainers at either home or work. CMP has 110 work crews making repairs, assisted by another 60 from out of state. Ice entombs the state. Snapping trees and limbs mimic the sound of rifle shots. National Guard troops fan out to help those in need. An estimated 600 people take up temporary housing in 60 shelters. The freezing rain finally ends.

Jan. 10

CMP loses some of its 115,000-volt transmission lines, plunging Augusta and the utility’s offices there into darkness. In all, 254,050 customers are without power as 396 work crews attempt to restore it. Meanwhile, stores that are able to open soon sell out of generators. Unvented use of the devices leads to some carbon monoxide poisoning.

Jan. 11

More than 450,000 people remain without electricity as 631 utility crews from as far away as North Carolina attempt to restore power to 210,000 businesses and residences. An estimated 3,000 people are staying in 117 shelters. Ice damage to apple orchards and maple stands used in sugaring is widespread. Dairy farmers hand milk cows since milking machines lack the power to run. Sunshine gives the state a winter wonderland look.

Jan. 12

Outages are down to 167,900, but that still means one of every four Mainers are doing without electricity. Bangor Hydro ditches a plan to put a wood-fired power plant back on line, accusing the plant’s owners of “gouging” customers in their pricing structure. Nearly 600 crews are working to restore lines and the juice they carry.

Jan. 13

President Clinton declares Maine a disaster area, making 15 of the 16 counties eligible for reimbursement of up to 75 percent of storm cleanup costs. More and more out-of-state utility crews arrive to help CMP and Bangor Hydro workers, bringing the workforce up to 866 crews and the number of outages down to 123,975.

Jan. 14

Gusting winds and bone-numbing cold slow repairs to downed lines, but the 927 crews now working on the situation cut outages to 100,150. Some angry customers threaten CMP employees. Police respond to complaints that people are stealing generators. More than 150 cases of carbon monoxide poisoning are being treated statewide.

Jan. 15

Vice President Al Gore visits Lewiston and Augusta to see ice storm damage firsthand. He says the federal government will offer at least $28 million in disaster relief to people and small businesses. Outages fall to 82,675 as more than 1,000 work crews continue line repairs. Around the state, neighbors have rediscovered the benefits of being neighborly, and Red Cross volunteers look to help people in need.

Jan. 16

CMP and Bangor Hydro say the storm caused $45.6 million to the state’s power grid. The number of outages drops to 62,275 as 1,142 work crews make a dent in restoration efforts.

Jan. 17

Federal Emergency Management Agency inspectors spread out across Maine to begin storm damage assessments. Utility repair crews, now numbering nearly 1,200, begin moving to more rural areas to repair smaller lines serving fewer people. Outages fall to 47,052.

Jan. 18

Bangor Hydro says it only has 350 customers remaining without power; CMP’s list tops 35,000. Work crews total 1,239, with many out-of-state workers rotating back home as relief crews arrive. Shelter occupancy continues to fall, with 331 listed compared to 580 the day before.

Jan. 19

A record 1,491 utility crews work to reconnect an estimated 25,000 homes and businesses still lacking power. More than 1,500 people have applied for federal disaster aid with more lining up.

Jan. 20

CMP says its costs to restore power to 632,000 Maine people will reach $55 million. The repair work, coupled with damaged lines, poles, transformers and the like, will push the storm’s cost to $87 million for utilities alone. The Public Utilities Commission says it will investigate restoration efforts of CMP and Bangor Hydro. Meanwhile, with outages down to 17,518, most out-of-state utility and tree crews have headed home, leaving many here saying thanks, and planning for a reunion to show that gratitude.

Jan. 21

Fifteen days after it started 8,600 homes and businesses remain in the dark, victims of Ice Storm ’98. T-shirts are being hawked in mom and pop stores proclaiming wearers as survivors of the natural disaster. CMP President David Flanagan is in Washington, trying to drum up support for a national grant program to help utilities cover their repair costs.

Jan. 24

Another ice storm hits the region, knocking out power to an estimated 75,000 CMP customers just as the last of those who remained in the dark from the earlier storm were seeing their lights flicker on. “We had just gotten down to the last few hundred outages from the earlier storm, and now we’re in the thick of it again,” said CMP spokesman Mark Ishkanian.

Jan. 25

The storm proved to be no repeat, not in central and southern Maine anyway, as utility crews quickly set about repairing downed power lines and reconnecting fallen wires. To the north, though, people in many areas that had escaped the ravages of the earlier storm got a taste for life off the grid. Aroostook County was particularly hard-hit.