Microburst or twister? Storm lashes Long Lake

TOWNSHIP 17 RANGE 3 – Vern Ouellette couldn’t even get to his camp Sunday night to verify possible damage after a severe storm wracked both shores of Van Buren Cove on Long Lake.

Ouellette, Aroostook County’s Emergency Management director, said scores of trees were toppled onto roads, camps and homes along both the east and west shores of the lake, about 10 miles from the town of Van Buren, between 5:30 and 6 p.m.

Ouellette had received no reports of injuries, but he said some roads in the area were impassable. He attributed the damage to a microburst or possibly a small tornado that whipped through during about a 10-minute time frame.

The National Weather Service said it was looking into reports of a possible tornado in the area but would have nothing definite until this morning.

“Trees were toppled, boats and wharves were turned over,” Ouellette said.

“It was a swath from several hundred yards to half a mile wide,” he said. It started on the west side of the lake and crossed over to the east side.

When the storm came through the area, it hit quickly. People dining at the Long Lake Sporting Club in Sinclair, across the lake from Van Buren Cove, ran for cover from a patio area. Severe winds and heavy rains brought visibility to near zero within minutes.

The NWS issued two severe thunderstorm warnings Sunday evening for parts of Aroostook County. The first, at 6:04 p.m., was for northeast Aroostook County, the Van Buren area, and the second, at 8:53 p.m., was for northwestern Aroostook County, including Presque Isle.

Michael Fitzsimmons, a meteorologist with the NWS, said Monday afternoon that a team was investigating the Van Buren Cove area. A tornado was not confirmed as of Monday noon, he said, but severe thunderstorms also hit the Presque Isle area. He had no reports of damage.

Fitzsimmons said nearly 11/2 inches of rain fell in Fort Fairfield, just over an inch in Washburn and just under an inch at Caribou.

Ouellette said the Van Buren Cove storm must have been at least a microburst – short severe wind and rain.

“Microbursts come down and pop back up quickly,” he said.

While road damage was minimal, some roads were impassable because of downed trees and debris. Ouellette said trees were still blocking some roads Monday morning.