APPENDIX A. HISTORICAL ICE STORMS IN
NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND AND NEW YORK
December 1720, 1929
NY: one of the worst of record in Buffalo; great damage throughout western NY
damage to telephone and telegraph lines occurred with 50 mph gale following storm
losses in Buffalo and Rochester districts totaled million
ME: worst sleet storm in half a century
affected all of Maine except Aroostock County
all hospitals in Portland lost electricity for up to two days
huge limbs ripped from tree trunks
took weeks to repair electrical and phone lines
NH: unprecedented disruption to telephone, telegraph and power systems
no computer-archived weather data
MAINE
Bangor Daily News:
Beginning on the 18th, an ice storm and then a 4- to 10-in. snowfall hit southern Maine,
including Bangor, Waterville, Lewiston, and Portland. Bangor suffered an all-day sleet storm and
snow amounting 6 in. Line breaks and short circuits, caused by the weight of ice on wires and
falling tree limbs, resulted in loss of telephone and electrical service for some time. Wires came
down as fast as they could be put back up. All rail service down for several days due to broken
telegraph lines.
Kennebec Journal (Augusta):
The "worst sleet storm that southern, central, and eastern Maine have experienced for years...
worst sleet storm since 1921" caused thousands of dollars damage to wire communications. Al-
though only 4 in. of snow and a brief ice storm that did not disrupt traffic or communications oc-
curred in Augusta, fruit and shade trees in York County suffered extensive damage from broken
limbs. Portland's parks appeared "shell-blasted... with large limbs and whole trees broken and
cracked apart." The main transmission line from the West Buxton hydro station was out of service
for two hours. Rain atop a 10- to 12-in. snowfall made driving dangerous in Waterville. In
Lewiston, sleet and rain followed 6 in. of damp snow. WCSH's broadcast tower in Portland fell
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