Thousands of homes and businesses lost power when Maine was buffeted by gusty winds Thursday, but nearly all of them had regained power by 9 p.m.

A strong cold front pushed into the state, bringing gusts up to 50 mph.

Central Maine Power reported more than 11,000 outages across its coverage area just after noon.

Kennebec County was hardest hit, with more than 5,000 outages. York and Cumberland counties also had significant outages.

“As last night’s windstorm exits our area, we expect power restoration efforts to move quickly today. More than 100 crews are working in the field this morning, and we are receiving reports of slick road conditions,” CMP said in a statement Thursday morning.

Versant Power, which serves northern and eastern Maine, reported only 81 outages at 12:15 p.m. That number had been up over 6,500 early Thursday morning.

A wind advisory was in effect until 3 p.m. for portions of southern, central and western Maine, according to the National Weather Service. West winds of 15 to 30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph were expected.

The advisory warned that winds this strong make driving difficult, especially for high-profile vehicles. The gusty winds blew around unsecured objects and knocked down tree limbs, causing power outages.

Windchill values by midday were in the teens along the coast and below zero in the mountains, the weather service said.

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CMP, extreme weather, maine weather, National Weather Service
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