Power and communication outages due to damage to lines caused by falling trees and branches, flash flooding, erosion, personal injury, and fires caused by lightning. The entire State is vulnerable to one or more severe summer storms each year. The effects are usually felt the strongest in the western, mountainous regions, and the least along the Atlantic coast where the cooling effects of the ocean tend to suppress thunderstorm conditions. Some areas of northern and eastern Maine which have had spruce budworm damage are vulnerable to lightning ignited forest fires and some areas of the north are subject to flash flooding under certain circumstances.
Isolated problems arise when warnings are ignored.
The Department of Transportation is responsible for repairs and maintenance of primary roads and bridges damaged in storms.