Flood in Connecticut, April 17 to 18, 1996

Two to 3 inches of rain fell on April 16th in northern Connecticut, with totals of 3 to 5 inches in the south portion of Hartford and Tolland Counties. All of the rain fell in about a 12-hour period. The ground had remained saturated from heavy snowmelt during the previous week and this combined with the heavy rain to produce urban flooding, flooding of small streams, and finally minor to moderate flooding of the major rivers. After a record snowfall during the first ten days of the month, wet and milder weather returned, resulting in the most significant mainstem river flooding along the Connecticut River in 9 years. A flash flood occurred in Berlin, where boats were needed to rescue people stuck in two cars on Route 71 at about 3 PM on the 16th. The North Branch of the Park River crested at Hartford at 12.9 feet at 4:23 PM on the 16th; flood stage is 8 feet. Moderate flooding was reported along the South Branch of the Park River at Hartford. The Farmington River crested at Simsbury at 12.17 feet at 9:30 PM on the 17th. The Connecticut River crested at Thompsonville at 6.61 feet at 1:15 AM on the 18th; flood stage is 5 feet. The Connecticut River crested at Hartford at 22.06 feet at 1:30 PM on the 18th; flood stage is 16 feet. Moderate flooding was reported along the Quinnipiac River at Hartford around 3 PM on the 16th. In general, during this event low-lying riverfront land and some roads were flooded, but no significant damage was reported.