A large number of customers in Gorham have their power back after losing it
for close to an hour during heavy lightning and rain this afternoon. CMP
officials were unable to provide details about what led to the outage though
public safety officials speculated that a lightning strike caused a
transformer to blow. The outage began shortly after 2 p.m. and was repaired
at about 3 p.m.

3:24 p.m.
Emergency Management officials are doing what most people are right now $ watching the warnings from the National Weather Service.

"They're coming at us fast and furious," said James Budway, director of the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency.

The town of York opened a shelter at the high school in case anyone felt the need for it, said York Police Sgt. Brian Curtin, but there was no one there as of 3 p.m. The town had water, lights and "a roof over your head," Curtin said.

For most emergency management agencies, however, the item in most demand was information.

Joyce Kelley, deputy director of the York County Emergency Management Agency, said some residents were frightened by the storms after tornadoes were reported in New Hampshire and called for advice.

"They see it on the screen and it's almost like they don't know what to do," because tornadoes are relatively rare in Maine, Kelley said.

She said residents are told to go to a safe part of the house, such as an interior doorway. If they are concerned that a tornado is actually nearby, she said, they should grab a cellphone, get into a bathtub and pull a mattress in over them.

Budway said he's been in contact with officials in towns as well as state officials, making sure people get the word about severe weather. He said the best advice he can offer is for people to keep an eye on the weather and get indoors, away from windows, if it gets threatening.

Joanne Potvin, director of the Androscoggin Unified Emergency Management Agency, said she's also trying to make people aware that a tornado watch means conditions are favorable for a tornado to development, while a tornado warning means one has actually been observed.

2:36
Emergency Management officials are doing what most people are right now -- watching the warnings from the National Weather Service.

"They're coming at us fast and furious," said James Budway, director of the Cumberland County Emergency Management Agency.

Budway said he's been in contact with officials in towns as well as state officials, making sure people get the word about severe weather. He said the best advice he can offer is for people to keep an eye on the weather and get indoors, away from windows, if it gets threatening.

Joanne Potvin, director of the Androscoggin Unified Emergency Management Agency, said she's also trying to make people aware that a tornado watch means conditions are favorable for a tornado to development, but a tornado warning means one has actually been observed.

2:15 p.m.

The severe thunderstorms moving toward Gorham, Hollis, Buxton, Westbrook,
Windham, Gray and Naples are capable of producing damaging winds in excess
of 60 mph. The storm was located six miles east of Alfred at 2 p.m. and
moving east at 45 mph.

1:54 p.m.

The National Weather Service in Gray has issued a tornado watch for much of
Maine including Cumberland, York, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Oxford, Kennebec,
Waldo, Knox, Somerset, Franklin and Androscoggin counties.

A tornado watch is issued by the National Weather Service when conditions
are favorable for development of tornadoes in and close to the watch area.
The size can vary and a watch is usually issued well in advance of the event
and last for four to eight hours. People are encouraged to move to a safe
place if threatening weather approaches.

There is a severe thunderstorm warning for southern coastal Main and Oxford
County and flood warnings in York County and other parts of western Maine.

1:45 p.m.

Joyce Kelley at the York County Emergency Management Agency said they have not yet received any calls for help. The center is located in Alfred. Kelley said some county residents have called asking for advice about how to
prepare for possible power outages.

"We are okay so far.," Kelley said. "We are just watching the line (of
thunderstorms) go by, and hoping for the best."

Lynnette Miller, spokeswoman for the Maine Emergency Management Agency, said the agency has not received reports of any damage in Maine from the lines of thunderstorms rolling in from New Hampshire.

"All of our counties are aware," Miller said at 1:20 p.m. She had just seen
the reports of the severe weather in New Hampshire.

1:13 p.m.

Severe thunderstorms are heading through York County at this hour, after causing extensive damage in New Hampshire earlier today.

A severe thunderstorm warning is in effect, with storms capable of producing high winds over 60 mph. The National Weather Service anticipates between 2 to 4 inches of rain will fall throughout the region during the day, increasing the potential for flooding near streams and other low-lying areas.

The storms in central and eastern New Hampshire prompted reports of collapsed buildings and at least two possible funnel clouds or tornadoes.
State Emergency Management spokesman Jim Van Dongen said a house reportedly collapsed in Epsom, where the fire chief said preliminary reports indicated that 50 to 100 homes were damaged.

"We have had reports of structural damage, a lot of trees down and roads closed," said Chris Pope, state homeland security director.

More than an hour after the first reports of possible injuries just before noon, Pope and others remained busy responding to calls and warning communities still facing severe weather. Pope said the early damage reports centered on Deerfield-Epsom line, 10 miles or so east of Concord, northeast to Alton and Wolfeboro on Lake Winnipesaukee. Power also was knocked out in a wide area.

The National Weather Service briefly issued a tornado warning and posted severe thunderstorm warnings for parts of four counties.

Meterologist Kirk Apffel in Gray, Maine, said someone reported a tornado to police in Northwood, just east of Epsom, and a funnel cloud was reported 20 miles south in Atkinson.