An unsettled weather pattern ignited thunderstorms, lightning strikes, hail and at least one flash flood in Maine on Sunday.
Bingham, a town in Somerset County, reported hail the size of golf balls. One-inch diameter hail fell near Norway and Monmouth, according to the National Weather Service office in Gray.
NewsCenter Maine reported three confirmed lightning strikes in the Penobscot County communities of Carmel, Newburgh and Garland, as well as 60 mph wind gusts and large hail near Presque Isle.
Storm watches were in effect for most of the state through Sunday evening.
Hunter Tubbs, a meteorologist with the NWS, said heavy rains fueled a flash flood that washed out part of Route 118 in Norway on Sunday night. Parts of Somerset County reported getting 3 inches of rain from severe thunderstorms.
Tubbs said Sunday was a typical summer day with breaks in the cloud cover destabilizing the atmosphere. Severe thunderstorms and lightning, combined with high humidity, were experienced across the state.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Maine and New Hampshire until 9 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/FtpdbC9UvF
— NWS Gray (@NWSGray) August 13, 2023
Some of the storms knocked out power to Central Maine Power Co. customers. More than 700 customers, most of them in Androscoggin County, were without power as of 9 p.m. Sunday.
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