Looking Back On Maine’s Unforgettable Ice Storm of 1998

If you lived in Maine in January of 1998, you don’t need much reminding. Just the phrase “the ice storm” is enough to bring it all back. The sound of snapping branches, the eerie blue glow of downed power lines at night, and the quiet that settled in when the lights went out and stayed out.

It has been almost 28 years since half of Maine's residents first had no power due to the ice storm, and it didn’t hit all at once.

Freezing rain fell steadily for days, coating trees, roads, and power lines with ice that was over an inch in thickness. Limbs bent, then broke. Entire trees came down under the weight. Power lines followed, and with them went heat, water, and communication for hundreds of thousands of Mainers. Some people were without electricity for weeks, not hours.

Rural Maine took the hardest hit. Long stretches of line serving just a few homes meant restoration took time. Roads became obstacle courses of fallen trees and wires, making travel dangerous or impossible. Schools closed, businesses shut their doors, and daily routines were replaced by survival mode. People cooked on wood stoves and camp stoves, melted snow for water, and checked on neighbors.

What sticks with me most from the ice storm is that it happened while I was living in my Grandmother’s house on Sebago Lake at the time. Our small dirt road into the home was covered in downed trees, and we weren't going anywhere. 

National Guard troops rolled into the state, as did extra utility crews from all over the country and Canada. Town halls became warming centers. Fire stations turned into hubs for information, coffee, and reassurance. 

In true Maine fashion, folks helped clear driveways, shared generators, and opened their homes to anyone who needed a warm place to sleep.

The ice storm of 1998 changed Maine. It reshaped how utilities plan for major weather events and how towns prepare for long-term outages. It also left a lasting mark on the landscape, with forests taking years to recover.

More than anything, it reminded us how quickly modern life can go dark and how strong communities can be when it does.

News Center Maine had an hour-long special in the aftermath of the storm. If you weren't here in Maine or were too young to remember, this is a great video of a part of Maine's history that most of us wish we could forget.