The January 10 Storm

On the morning of January 10, 2024, Gouldsboro and other Downeast Maine towns were battered by a powerful winter storm. The storm washed boats ashore, destroyed wharves, and battered coastal roads. Here are a few pictures. 

For the record, high tide that morning was estimated to be at 9:12 AM and was expected to be 11.9 feet above mean low tide, not including extra height from storm surge. The storm surge that morning in Bar Harbor was 4.3 feet above Mean Higher High Water. The storm surge here in Gouldsboro was probably similar. Winds on offshore islands reached over 90 mph. The weather station at Sand Cove Beach measured 45 mph winds that morning.

Crowley Island Road

The picture at the top of the page shows a wave breaking over the causeway connecting Crowley Island to the rest of Corea. That photo was recorded as part of a short video. Here is what the wave looked like a fraction of a second later. Click on the photo to see a larger version. It is no surprise that the top photo shows broken pavement.

Gouldsboro’s Climate Vulnerability Assessment identifies the Crowley Island Road causeway as a place that is highly vulnerable to storm surge and sea level rise damage. The town’s Coastal Resilience Committee includes the causeway as part of its work toward building a climate-resilient community.

Prospect Harbor

Winds during the height of the storm were from the southeast, directly into Prospect Harbor. Two boats broke loose and were washed up on the rocks. Again, click on the photo for a larger version. As of today, January 12, both vessels are off the rocks. FV Lord Byron is floating in the harbor, and FV Miss Chriss is up out of the water.

Sand Cove Beach

Rt. 195 (Corea Road), as it passes by Sand Cove Beach, is an area of concern because it is vulnerable to flooding from storms coming up Prospect Harbor and also from water moving down from Grand Marsh Bay. Here are some pictures that Bob DeForrest took just after high tide as the winds were peaking. 

If a storm makes Corea Road impassable at Sand Cove Beach, everyone living in Corea and in the Paul Bunyan subdivision (more than 200 people year-around and about twice that many in the summer) would be isolated, cut off from emergency services and without land transportation to and from Corea.

Grand Marsh Bay Road

Grand Marsh Bay is directly above the Sand Cove Beach area. The picture below was taken by a drone flying 90 feet above Grand Marsh Bay Road. The view is to the north. Gouldsboro’s West Bay is in the distance. This is a picture of the salt marsh at low tide. Given a moderately large high tide, the marsh comes up to the road. You can click on this picture and the ones that follow to see a larger version.

Here is a picture taken from farther south that shows Grand Marsh Bay Road at the bottom of the salt marsh and a beaver pond just below the road. There is a culvert in the road that allows water from the beaver pond to flow into the marsh at low tide and salt water to flow the other way on a large high tide. The road is a barrier to the marsh’s southward movement.

Below you see how things looked on January 10. In this picture, the beaver pond is on the right, and the marsh is on the left. Because the culvert cannot move all the water brought in by the storm surge, seawater is running over the road from the marsh to the pond.

Although the water level at Grand Marsh Bay was higher than usual because of the storm surge, the situation could have been worse. This storm did have some rain but was mostly a wind and storm surge event. Gouldsboro has experienced storms that drop much more rain and drop it more quickly than the January 10 storm. In those storms, Grand Marsh Bay acts as a big sponge, absorbing water that would otherwise run off more quickly and destructively. In a storm that combined a powerful storm surge with unusually heavy rains, Grand Marsh Bay Road could be underwater.

Grand Marsh Bay, Grand Marsh Bay Road, and seas driven by winds and storm surge across Corea Road at Sand Cove Beach are elements in a complex hydrologic system. Developing a better understanding of the steps Gouldsboro can take to increase the probability that transportation between Corea and the rest of the town is not interrupted as storms get stronger is a principal focus of the Coastal Resilience Committee’s planning.

Another Storm

As I wrap up this post, I am keenly aware that another big storm will descend on Gouldsboro tomorrow. Here is what the National Weather Service had to say at 8:01 this evening.

The highest tides of the winter season are expected around 11:45am on Saturday morning. This coincides with the maximum storm surge of 3.0-4.5ft expected on a strong southeasterly flow. The high astronomical tide is a full foot above the tide measured Wednesday which makes this a very concerning situation for life and property. Confidence is high for the threat of coastal flooding and requires the upgrade to Coastal Flood Warning. The coastal flooding potential is the highest we`ve seen in over a decade along the Downeast Coast. Latest forecasts for the Bar Harbor gage potentially breaks the record that was just set this past Wednesday. A record stage is expected at Cutler Farris Wharf and in Eastport. Expect moderate to potentially major coastal flooding in locations such as Deer Isle Causeway, Kenduskeag Plaza in Bangor, Machias, Winter Harbor, Southwest Harbor, Milbridge, Eastport and Lubec along with other locations on MDI. Tidal waters may compromised roadways along the Downeast coast potentially cutting off residences and impacting travel. Those with vulnerable properties should take necessary actions now to protect flood prone properties. Significant beach erosion from the previous storm will make erosion prone areas more susceptible to increased erosion.

More Photos

If you have photos from the January 10 storm or from the one that arrives tomorrow, feel free to send them to info@gouldsboroshore.me. If possible, send them by email and send the full-size image. Please include location information. We cannot promise we will use them, but we will definitely want to write some more photo posts.