Storm Forces Closure of Iconic Maine Ski Area

Some New England news outlets have taken to calling Monday's storm the Grinch Storm.  Considering the storm has brought nothing but rain, flooding, downed trees, and power outages to our state, it seems like an appropriate name.

Even though the storm is expected to roll out of the state on Monday night, it looks like the problems it has caused will continue into Tuesday.

Many local schools have already announced that they are cancelling classes for Tuesday.  Additionally, many municipalities and businesses have announced they will not be open on Tuesday.

One of those businesses is one of the most well-known ski areas in New England.

According to an article on the WMTW website, Sunday River Ski Resort, located in Newry, will not be open on Tuesday.  It appears that the resort was hit by enough rain to cause flash flooding.

An announcement on the ski resort's website says, in part:

Due to damage caused by today's storm, ski operations at Sunday River Resort will be closed tomorrow, December 19.   We are actively assessing roads, trails, and systems in the aftermath of five inches of rain received in a short period of time.  Ski operations will be reopened as quickly as possible and snowmaking will resume once necessary repairs are made.

It sounds as though that part of the state was hit was high winds and a huge amount of rain.

As we understand it, the following video shows a swollen Barkers Brook washing away part of the road that leads to the resort's attached hotel.

Normally, the brook is just a trickle of water this time of year.  That was not the case today.  As you can see, the torrent of water tore up the road and sent what appears to be a culvert downstream.

Hopefully, it won't take them long to make all the needed repairs.

Once the ski area recovers from the storm, you really need to plan a visit.  In addition to skiing and boarding, the resort features cross-country trails, snow bikes, the opportunity to walk the glow trail, great restaurants, live entertainment, and more.  There really is something for everyone.  Discover more on the Sunday River website.