The National Weather Service said there were no reports of tornadoes in Maine on Tuesday, despite a tornado watch that lasted several hours, but at one point close to 2,600 people in Freeport lost power in evening thunderstorms.

Central Maine Power Co. crews worked to restore power in the town late Tuesday and by early Wednesday morning all customers in Freeport and throughout the utility’s service area had their power back.

“These storms were producing very heavy rain. If it decided to let loose there, that more than likely brought down some higher-momentum air – enough to knock a few trees over,” said Eric Sinsabaugh of the National Weather Service in Gray. “With all the water and all the leaves on the trees, it’s not hard to bring down trees and branches this time of year.”

The tornado watch was lifted at 7:48 p.m. There were reports of wind damage, but no tornadoes. The weather service issued the watch because there was potential for one or two of the storms to produce a tornado, said Eric Schwibs, another meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

A severe thunderstorm warning for northern York County and southwestern Cumberland County also expired as the storm moved out of the area into Casco Bay and into Somerset, Kennebec, Franklin and Oxford counties.

The storms that did pass through the region cut power to 2,923 Central Maine Power Co. customers in Cumberland County as of 11:15 p.m., the vast majority in Freeport. There were 162 customers in Androscoggin County without power.

The potential for tornadoes was greatest in southern New Hampshire, where temperatures climbed into the 80s Tuesday, Schwibs said. The hot, humid conditions can spawn powerful thunderstorms.

Cumberland County and points north were in the 60s for much of the day, he said.

Once the front moved through Tuesday night, a high-pressure system was expected to bring sunny skies and temperatures in the upper 70s to the region Wednesday, he said.

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