How often: Quite. The federal government has declared 22 major flood-related disasters in Maine since 1954. Most were in recent memory. “Flood season” stretches from now to May.

Last big event: York County in May. Devastating rains led to washed-out roads, damaged houses and 1,200 people who qualified for $2.8 million in assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “We’ve been in a pretty active flood period the past 18 months or so,” Hayes said. It has to do with jet streams and tropical moisture. “2005 was the wettest year on record in Portland. We’re very wet again this year.”

Ice Storms

How often: Two or three times a year. They’re more likely inland (the Atlantic Ocean warms temperatures along the coast) and in valleys and low spots.

Last big event: January 1998. Al Gore and a power line. 300,000-plus people without electricity, some for weeks.

“Maine, northern New England, is one of the best spots in the country” for ice storms, Hayes said. The Appalachian South gets them, too. “They tend to be more devastating; they’re just not used to it.”