Flash Flood, York
- When
- May 12, 2:00 AM EST to 2:00 PM EST
- Where
- York County, Balch Pond
- Coordinates
- 43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Maine, May 12, 1996
Continued heavy rains caused lake levels throughout New Hampshire to rise well above normal. The high water level on Belleau Lake caused the flash boards on Belleau Lake Dam to give way, releasing the water that had threatened the dam.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
Continued heavy rains caused lake levels throughout New Hampshire to rise well above normal. The high water level on Belleau Lake caused the flash boards on Belleau Lake Dam to give way, releasing the water that had threatened the dam. The rush of water reached Woodman Lake Dam and eroded a section of the earthen part of the dam. The resulting flash flood continued downstream to Balch Pond. The surge of water into Balch Pond raised concerns that the Balch Pond Dam might fail, but the dam gate was opened and the dam remained intact. Several families in New Hampshire and Maine were evacuated.
The radar
The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:57 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Florida, May 12, 1996
- Flooding in New York, May 12 to 17, 1996
- Flooding in Vermont, May 12 to 24, 1996
- Winter Weather in Maine, May 12, 1996
- Flooding in New York, May 12 to 24, 1996
- Heat in Alaska, May 12, 1996
- Flash Flood in New Hampshire, May 12, 1996
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, May 12, 1996
- Hail in Kansas, May 12, 1996
- Flood in Massachusetts, May 12 to 14, 1996
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 12, 1996
- Hail in Oklahoma, May 12, 1996
More
Every storm in Maine in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, May 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5577822.