Heavy rain drenches southern part of state

As people in northern Maine enjoyed sunny skies, residents in far southern Maine were dealing with something entirely different on Friday: a torrent of rain and a snowstorm that sent cars sliding off the Maine Turnpike.

Nearly as much rain fell during a 48-hour period ending late Friday afternoon as during the preceding three months combined, said Tom Hawley, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Gray.

The town of Eliot, at the state’s southern tip, recorded nearly 5 inches of rain over two days; Kennebunkport had 3.33 inches, Hollis 2.92 inches and Portland 2.80 inches, Hawley said Friday.

Flood warnings were posted for the Presumpscot River in Westbrook and for smaller streams and rivers in York County.

“I don’t like to see flooding, but we can really use this rain down here,” he said. “It’s helpful because it has been so dry.”

In York County, snow and icy conditions added to the misery, causing as many as three dozen accidents on the Maine Turnpike late Friday morning, said Stephen McCausland of the Maine Public Safety Department.

State troopers closed the southbound lanes from Wells to the New Hampshire border when motorists caught off guard by the ice began sliding, he said.

The worst crash came when a car went out of control and was struck by a tractor-trailer. The car’s driver, Cassandra Cash, 20, of Bath, suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from a local hospital.

A state trooper was slightly injured going to one of those crashes on the turnpike. Trooper Kevin Curran’s cruiser was struck by a minivan that slid on the Mousam River Bridge in Kennebunk. The cruiser was demolished.

Higher elevations reported some freezing rain, and sleet and snow mixed in other areas, but most of the precipitation fell as rain.

In Portland, the 2.80 inches of rain would have translated to 28 inches of snow if the temperature had dropped by a few degrees, Hawley said. The temperature Friday afternoon in Portland was 34 degrees.

Meanwhile, it was about 15 degrees warmer in Caribou, where the skies were clear and the temperature reached 50 degrees, he added. Bangor received 0.38 inches through late Friday afternoon.

The heaviest rain totals in Maine were near the New Hampshire border. The town of Hampstead, in Rockingham County, N.H., received the greatest rainfall with 6.11 inches recorded over 48 hours, Hawley said.

Although the rain was expected to end by Friday evening, more precipitation was forecast for Sunday, Hawley said.