BRUNSWICK — It was déjà vu in the southern Midcoast this morning as an overnight windstorm knocked out power to thousands of customers. It was nearly a year ago that a subtropical storm left the region in the dark for nearly a week following a night of wild winds.

The Portland Press Herald reported that nearly 70,000 Mainers were without power this morning, after tree branches were knocked onto power lines due to high winds.

Classes were cancelled at Chop Point School in Woolwich, according to the Press Herald. Yarmouth schools faced a two-hour delay, and weighed cancelling classes altogether. Other schools in the southern Midcoast remained open this morning, however.

As of 6 a.m., Central Maine Power Co. reported 3,400 customers without power in Sagadahoc County, with Georgetown and Woolwich hit hardest. All 1,201 Georgetown customers were without power, and 1,342 out of 1,678 Woolwich customers were in the dark.

CMP reported that nearly 400 Brunswick homes were without power as of 6 a.m., while more than 850 Freeport residents were in the dark. Harpswell suffered 94 outages, and more than half of Pownal’s 767 customers – 404 – were without power.

Durham suffered 1,550 outages out of 1,821 customers, and Lisbon saw nearly 800 customers in the dark, out of 4,527.

In a statement issued later this morning, CMP estimated there were “47,000 outages at 11 a.m. and estimates more than 88,000 customer accounts have lost power at some point since midnight.

CMP spokesperson Gail Rice told The Times Record this morning that while outages were reported throughout the company’s service area from Kittery to Greenville, the company had, as of 8 a.m., restored power to about 10,000 customers.

“We’re bringing in additional crews from contractors and bringing in additional equipment,” Rice said.

CMP is also working with county emergency management agencies and municipalities to clear the roads of any debris or downed utility poles.

Winds were expected to continue  throughout the morning, according to the National Weather Service, which predicted gusts of around 35-45 mph. Winds were expected to diminish by mid-morning, but the weather service predicted more gusty winds this afternoon.

Windy conditions are expected through Wednesday and early Thursday, with gusts returning to 35-45 mph.

Rice said those winds could be a challenge to line crews, and could delay future restoration efforts.

“If the winds are above 40 mph, it’s not safe for crews to go up in bucket trucks,” Rice said. “They may need to hold back, but we’re working as safely as we can to repair damage.”

Meanwhile, Rice is reminding anyone who comes across a downed line to “stay away” and call 1-800-696-1000.

All told so far, this storm appears to have paled in contrast to the late-October 2017 storm that cost CMP $69 million, and resulted in a $1.30 per month rate increase for its customers. That storm knocked out power for nearly half a million Mainers, striking the Midcoast, particularly areas in Harpswell, Brunswick and Bath, the hardest.

Last month, a swift but powerful storm knocked out electricity in a swath from Brunswick north to Boothbay.

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