As stargazers look up at an expected “supermoon” Monday night, folks in flood-prone areas of southern coastal Maine could get their feet wet.
“The sun and the moon are lining up astronomically for some of the highest tides in many years,” says senior meteorologist John Cannon with the National Weather Service in Gray.
Cannon says the highest tides seen since 1948 are expected to bring parts of coastal Maine to flood stage, even if everything stays bone dry. The addition of rain and wind could make things worse.
“We are looking at that very closely. There is a weak low pressure system that may be heading up the coast maybe later in the day Tuesday, into Wednesday. It doesn’t look like a big storm but that could modify things just a little bit,” he says.
To blame is that giant supermoon, which will pass about 22,000 miles nearer to the Earth’s surface than it has in decades. When the sun, supermoon and Earth line up, tidal levels rise beyond normal.
Cannon says areas around Portland’s wharf, some of the shore roads in Biddeford, and parts of Commercial Street in Bath have been identified as potential trouble spots.
This is the second in a close trio of Supermoons. The third will happen Dec. 13.
