High noon came and went Jan. 4, and with higher than average tides, the ocean left its mark on the Midcoast, along with blizzard conditions. The one bright spot in the whole day has been the warmer temperatures that have brought some relief to the achingly cold bones that have afflicted Mainers since Christmas as an extended arctic air mass settled across the region.

The relief is short-lived, however, with temperatures are expected to plummet again by Friday morning.

Tides were at their highest around 12:08 p.m., Jan. 4, and reaching their highest levels of the year. In Rockport, high tide measured in at 12.7 feet.

At Lincolnville Beach and on Vinalhaven, the high tide flooded harbor front roads. Likewise, Buttermilk Lane, in South Thomaston, and the Rackliffe Island causeway in St. George were submerged for a time around the astronomic high tide. 

The powerful nor’easter is to move through the Gulf of Maine tonight, bringing more heavy snow. According to the National Weather Service, the heaviest snow will be near and just inland from the coast.

The snow pulls away tonight but in its wake more Arctic air spills into the region with continued gusty winds, according to meteorologists. Temperatures on Friday will fall well below zero Friday night
along with bitter wind chills. Most of the area will struggle to climb above zero Saturday as the core of the cold moves overhead. Temperatures begin to warm a bit next week, with more light snow possible on Monday.

The storm has downed some trees and wires, and there have been reports of a few vehicles sliding off the roads.

Rockport firefighters responded to two incidents (read: Rockport firefighters quickly extinguish house fire in blizzard) and Central Maine Power was reporting power outages in several Knox and Waldo county towns.

Central Maine Power outages