From the assistant editor

All the wind

Wed, 03/13/2024 - 8:45am

    If you, as I, have not been enjoying the persistent, punching, chilly, power-threatening wind along the Midcoast on several recent days, here are a few good things about the wind and all its gusts:

    It turns the tables on mud season. The slippery, gunky mud and the puddles the rain has wrought are no match for this much wind, this long. Nature’s blow-dryer is working. But could we change the dryer setting to warm, please?

    The windy days and nights remind us to be prepared for outages. In some of these recent winds, Central Maine Power’s outages list has shown tens of thousands of customers out; other times, three or four digits. But if you are one of the few out, it matters to you, and you are just as stuck as if hundreds of thousands were out, except that would probably leave you without power even longer. 

    So, when the forecast calls for substantial winds, take your power back: Have flashlights, batteries, water and whatever other supplies public safety agencies recommend along with their other precautions in pre-storm social media posts and news reports. Ride out the storm or, wind, and get to the calm weather on the other side of it, safely. 

    Lastly, a good thing about these seemingly relentless winds is, at press time, they were forecast to relent by the time this column publishes. So, yay for that!

    Week’s positive parting thought: Welcome spring! In all its muddy, windy, rainy and snowy, sometimes very snowy, glory, welcome.