Rain expected to hang on for much of the week

Rain, rain, it just won’t go away.

More rain fell on waterlogged northern New England on Sunday, bringing the prospect of another inch or two before the latest storm dies down today.

Then the remnants of Hurricane Wilma are expected to bring more rain to the region.

Because of Wilma, there won’t be much sun until Friday or Saturday, said Kirk Apfel, meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Gray.

Until then, there will be more rain.

As of early Sunday, Portland had recorded 10.93 inches of rain, closing in on the all-time record for October. The wettest October was 1996, with 16.86 inches, while a normal October has 4.4 inches, according to the weather service.

In New Hampshire, recent flooding in Cheshire and Sullivan counties destroyed 43 houses, seriously damaged 40 houses and left 700 homes with minor damage.

Concord had received 11.08 inches of rain as of early Sunday, far surpassing the old record for October of 8.78 inches set in 1962, Apfel said. Concord normally receives 3.46 inches of rain for the entire month, he said.

“October was definitely a record-setting month in Concord,” Apfel said. “In Portland, we’ll make a run at it.”

Meteorologist Chris Norcross of the National Weather Service in Caribou said that Sunday’s rain did not amount to much for northern and eastern Maine, with totals of between 1.5 and 2 inches for most of Aroostook and Washington counties. But he

cautioned to expect more

rain as the week progressed.

“With the remnants of Hurricane Wilma, there’s a lot of uncertainty about how it will develop, but we’re expecting a significant amount of rain later Tuesday and into Wednesday and Thursday,” he said. “Temperatures will drop below normal, and there is a potential for snow in the north.”

Storm-related power outages were reported in Southwest Harbor, the Cranberry Isles, Dedham and Brooklin, though electricity was restored to most areas by 7 p.m. Sunday.

Much of Vermont was under a snow advisory that was lifted late Sunday morning when warmer temperatures reduced the risk of significant snow accumulation.

The weekend rain and remnants of Hurricane Wilma this week will knock down most of the remaining leaves in northern New England, bringing to an end a fall foliage season that failed to impress some people this year.

Fall colors arrived a week late from north to south because of the warm September weather, said Gale Ross of the Maine Forest Service.

And some of those who viewed the colors in between rainstorms were not impressed by what they saw.

“This is not pretty at all, compared to what it usually is,” said Florence Dennison, 78, of Freeport.