Maine, 1997

Flash Flooding in Maine, April 18 to 20, 1997

April 18 to 20, 1997 · NWS GYX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Three to five inches of rain in 8 to 12 hours caused small rivers and streams to rise rapidly. Many roads were closed due to washouts and water over roadways, particularly near Lebanon in York County, and Naples in Cumberland County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Three to five inches of rain in 8 to 12 hours caused small rivers and streams to rise rapidly. Many roads were closed due to washouts and water over roadways, particularly near Lebanon in York County, and Naples in Cumberland County. Some homes were evacuated.

The radar

The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:01 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, York

When
April 18, 7:00 PM EST to April 20, 5:00 AM EST
Where
York County, Countywide
Coordinates
43.429, -70.670 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Cumberland

When
April 18, 7:00 PM EST to April 20, 5:00 AM EST
Where
Cumberland County, Countywide
Coordinates
43.806, -70.330 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

More

Every storm in Maine in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, April 1997

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: 5624846, 5624847.