The weather took a wintry turn Thursday as temperatures plummeted and gusting winds took down power lines across the region.
Gusts of up to 50 mph were measured in Portland early in the day, while Lewiston-Auburn and the surrounding area saw gusts of around 35 mph.
At about 1:30 p.m., Central Maine Power reported at least 10,000 power outages in the state. The most — 6,800 — were reported in York County and at least 1,500 were reported in Oxford County.
A Turner couple reported at about 3:30 p.m. that a large tree had blown down across their driveway, preventing a woman from getting in and her husband from getting out.
Another tree blew down, closing a section of Route 121, a resident said.
Later in the day, winds slowed and CMP crews were able to make repairs, although more than 400 homes and businesses were still without power in Oxford County at 6 p.m.
In some parts of the state, including Lewiston, snow flurries turned into hail for a brief period in the afternoon before precipitation ended and the cold deepened.
Meteorologist Tom Hawley of the National Weather Service said there could be another shot of wind Saturday, accompanied by colder temperatures. He said the Saturday gusts could produce wind chills of zero to minus 20 degrees on the coast and minus 10 to 20 degrees in the mountains.
Another warm spell is in the forecast for next week, with temperatures expected to rise into the 50s again.
A tree toppled in the wind Thursday at a home in Turner.
A tree toppled across a driveway Thursday in Turner.
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