Portland, Maine — Drought conditions, recent rainfall and an unusual storm path in Maine may have contributed to the large numbers of trees that toppled during a storm that walloped the Northeast this week, officials said.
The storm cut power to nearly 1.5 million homes and businesses in the region at its peak.
It left more Mainers in the dark than even the infamous 1998 ice storm, but the long-term effects likely will be much different.
The driest conditions are along the coast, where the wind gusts were the strongest.
“It was kind of a perfect storm,” Rogers said.
But they said favorable weather and extra crews will allow them to complete the task of restoring power this weekend.
Across the Northeast, more than 440,000 people were still without power Wednesday.
In Maine, nor’easters create northeastern winds, and thunderstorms blow in from the west and north, but these powerful winds came from the southeast, Livingston said.
And the winds were exceptionally powerful, with four times the force of a common wind storm, he said.
“These are lot of different conditions that have come together.