PORTLAND, Maine — Dangerous thunderstorms rumbled through the Northeast Wednesday afternoon. Maine and New Hampshire were hit hard, knocking down trees, damaging homes and causing power outages.
The Belgrade Lakes region saw extensive damage. Several homes and camps were damaged by falling trees and big wind gusts. There was even one injury as a tree fell on a car with a person in it.
The National Weather Service sent a team out yesterday to survey the debris and they determined the storm produced a microburst. The report is below:
NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 06/30/21 THUNDERSTORM WIND EVENT
OVERVIEW... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAY ME HAS CONFIRMED A MICROBURST NEAR BELGRADE IN KENNEBEC COUNTY MAINE ON 6/30/2021.
PEAK WIND /E/: 80-90 MPH
FATALITIES: 0 INJURIES: 1
START DATE: JUN 30, 2021 START TIME: 330 PM EDT
START LOCATION: BELGRADE VILLAGE, ME
SUMMARY: A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PASSED THROUGH THE BELGRADE LAKES REGION ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, PRODUCING A WET MICROBURST. ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS VARIED FROM 60 MPH UP TO 90 MPH. THERE WAS A CONCENTRATED DAMAGE SWATH ABOUT 2 MILES LONG BEGINNING ALONG THE EASTERN SHORE OF LONG POND JUST NORTH OF BELGRADE VILLAGE. THE DAMAGE ENDED ON ABENA SHORE RD TO THE SOUTHEAST OF BELGRADE VILLAGE. APPROXIMATELY 300 TREES WERE UPROOTED AND SNAPPED WITH THE HEAVIEST POCKETS OF DAMAGE IMMEDIATELY ON THE EASTERN SHORELINES OF LONG POND AND HERSOM POINT ON GREAT POND. IN ADDITION TO THE TREE DAMAGE, APPROXIMATELY 6 BUILDINGS WERE PARTIALLY DAMAGED DUE TO TREES FALLING ON THEM. AN ADDITIONAL BUILDING HAD SHINGLE DAMAGE DIRECTLY CAUSED BY THE WIND. TWO VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED WHEN TREES FELL ON THEM. ONE INJURY OCCURRED WHEN A TREE FELL ON A PEDESTRIAN IN A PARKED VEHICLE. THE TREE DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE WITH MANY OLD GROWTH WHITE PINES, OAKS AND WILLOWS BEING UPROOTED AND OR SNAPPED. POWER OUTAGES WERE EXTENSIVE IN THE AREA WITH MANY SNAPPED POLES AND DOWNED LINES.
Although the damage can be similar, a microburst is strong wind that moves in the same direction, unlike a tornado.