Maine, 1996

Flooding in Maine, January 27 to 30, 1996

January 27 to 30, 1996 · NWS GYX · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

Flooding was produced over sections of Maine when the last and most intense storm in a series of three low pressure centers moved northeastward from the Great Lakes. South to southeast winds brought warm temperatures and heavy rainfall to the area.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$561,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS GYX wrote it up.

Flooding was produced over sections of Maine when the last and most intense storm in a series of three low pressure centers moved northeastward from the Great Lakes. South to southeast winds brought warm temperatures and heavy rainfall to the area. Rainfall from the storm exceeded 4 inches in the western Maine mountains, with 2 to 3 inches common over much of central Maine. High runoff and ice jams caused flooding on many rivers and streams from the western mountains to the northeastern corner of the state. The Kennebec, Androscoggin, Piscataquis, and Penobscot were among the major rivers flooding. About 150 people had to be evacuated from a trailer park in Milford after an ice jam on the Penobscot River flooded the area on the 30th.Much of Maine qualified for disaster relief from the three storms. Damage to public property alone was $1.4 million, with private losses likely much higher.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Northeast Aroostook

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Northeast Aroostook forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Penobscot

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Penobscot forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southeast Aroostook

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Southeast Aroostook forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
46.659, -68.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Oxford

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Oxford forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Franklin

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Northern Franklin forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Central Somerset

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Central Somerset forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Central Piscataquis

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Central Piscataquis forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
45.837, -69.284 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Central Penobscot

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Central Penobscot forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Oxford

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Oxford forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Franklin

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Franklin forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Somerset

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Somerset forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Penobscot

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Southern Penobscot forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
45.401, -68.649 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Androscoggin

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Androscoggin forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
44.166, -70.206 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Kennebec

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Kennebec forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
44.409, -69.767 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Interior Waldo

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Interior Waldo forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Sagadahoc

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Sagadahoc forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
43.912, -69.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lincoln

When
January 27, 7:00 PM EST to January 30, 11:00 PM EST
Where
Lincoln forecast zone
Property damage
$33,000
Coordinates
43.998, -69.526 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Maine in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, January 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5556485, 5556486, 5556487, 5556488, 5556489, 5556490, 5556491, 5556492, 5556493, 5556494, 5556495, 5556496, 5556637, 5556638, 5556639, 5556640, 5556641.