Strong winds battered much of Maine on Thursday, breaking tree branches, knocking down power lines and forcing at least one family out of their home.
Scarborough firefighters responded to a report of a large tree branch crashing through the roof of 689 Route 1 late Thursday morning. Three people were in the home at the time, but no injuries were reported, Deputy Chief John Brennan said.
The house has been posted against occupancy “out of an interest of safety,” Brennan said. He added that Central Maine Power disconnected the building’s electricity, as some outlets were ripped out of the wall.
“There were spots you could see up through to the sky,” Brennan said. “It did actually take the majority of the chimney as well.”

Brian Dobson, Scarborough’s code enforcement officer, places a condemned sign on the front door. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Brennan said the residents, who rent the home, are working with their landlord to find temporary accommodations while repairs are made. A licensed electrician will need to inspect and and fix the building’s wiring before electricity can be returned.
That was the only significant property damage in town, though there were about a half-dozen other reports of fallen branches and downed lines, Brennan said.
CMP reported roughly 5,400 outages statewide around 4:45 p.m. — with most located in Cumberland, Oxford and York counties. Versant Power, which operates mainly in the northern part of the state, did not report any outages.
Wind speeds hovered between 25 and 30 miles per hour with occasional gusts of up to 50 miles per hour anticipated.
Sugarloaf Mountain closed several lifts due to wind conditions, and additional wind holds are possible Friday morning, staff announced in the mountain’s daily report.

Deputy Chief John Brennan said that three people were in the house at 689 Route 1 in Scarborough when a tree fell on it, but no injuries were reported. Derek Davis/Portland Press Herald
Michael Ekster, senior meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s office in Gray, said the strongest winds appeared to be in the southern Maine. The Portland Jetport reported peak gusts of 49 miles per hour; but Augusta saw top speeds of just 35 miles per hour, he said.
“Right now, Portland looks like the highest,” Ekster said around 4 p.m., noting that a final tally would be available later in the week.
Maine usually sees windy bursts like Thursday around three to four times a winter, Ekster said. Typically, winds between 40 and 50 miles per hour do relatively little damage to the landscape, though they can create more problems in the summer and fall, when the trees still have leaves on them, he said.
“It’s worse when there’s leaves on the trees because they act like sails,” Ekster said. “A lot of times, the wind just kind of sails through the branches.”
The wind is expected to die down overnight, coinciding with a drop in temperatures across the state. Ekster warned that windchills may dip into the negatives over the next few days, especially in inland and mountainous regions.
“The winds are going to be a lot less (Friday), but it’s still going to be breezy,” Ekster said. “And that’s going to coincide with the coldest air of the season.”
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