A motorist drives through a snow storm in Durham, Maine, Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016. A nor'easter is expected to drop 12 to 18 inches of snow on parts of Maine, according to the National Weather Service. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Justin Voight of On Target Utility works to restore power to a home Friday along Main St. in Cumberland, Maine. Residents were fighting the most powerful nor’easter in nearly two years. (Associated Press)
Brian Murray of Lucas Tree Experts hauls away giant tree branches cut by Don Libby as they clean up limbs and debris causing downed wires along Wood Road Friday, Dec. 30, 2016 in Gorham, Maine. Nearby residents are without power as a result of the heavy wet snow that fell overnight. (Jill Brady/Portland Press Herald via AP)
Residents along Paul Street clear snow from their driveways in South Berwick, Maine, Friday, Dec. 30, 2016, after 5-6 inches of wet, heavy snow fell overnight. The most powerful nor'easter in nearly two years brought heavy snow, powerful winds and even thunder and lightning to northern New England, leaving tens of thousands of people in the dark Friday and burying some towns under 2 feet of snow. (Jill Brady/Portland Press Herald via AP)
PORTLAND, Maine — The most powerful nor’easter in nearly two years brought heavy snow, powerful winds and even thunder and lightning to northern New England, leaving tens of thousands of people in the dark Friday and burying some towns under 2 feet of snow.
More than 100,000 homes and businesses in Maine were without electricity at the storm’s peak, and residents were warned that it could take days to restore service. The National Weather Service received reports of snow falling at up to 6 inches per hour.
“It went from just a garden-variety, low-pressure system to a turbocharged storm,” meteorologist Eric Schwibs said.
In Brunswick, resident Jason Weymouth went to bed with a sense of dread as powerful thunderclaps accompanied the falling snow.
“It hit over the house, and it was pretty loud and very strong and very unusual. That set me a little bit on edge,” he said.
By Friday morning, he was among the thousands of Maine residents without power.
