Flooding in New Hampshire, March 29 to 31, 1998

Name: Flooding in New Hampshire, March 29 to 31, 1998
Start: 1998-03-29T15:30
End: 1998-03-31T23:59
Location: New Hampshire

March 29 to 31, 1998 · NWS GYX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Record warmth and rapid snowmelt caused rivers in northern New Hampshire to flood from late March through early April. 5 to 2 inches of rain on the evening of the 30th resulted in record or near record flows on the upper Connecticut River, and on the Androscoggin and Swift Rivers.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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: 5

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.

Record warmth and rapid snowmelt caused rivers in northern New Hampshire to flood from late March through early April. The snowmelt combined with a line of thunderstorms that produced 1.5 to 2 inches of rain on the evening of the 30th resulted in record or near record flows on the upper Connecticut River, and on the Androscoggin and Swift Rivers. The Connecticut reached a crest of 15.63 feet at 1745 at North Stratford on the 31st (13 ft. flood stage) and a crest at West Lebanon of 19.02 feet on the 29th(18 ft flood stage). Additional crests were reached in early April. The Saco River crested at Conway at 9.54 feet late on the 31st (9 ft. flood stage) .

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Northern Grafton

When: March 29, 3:30 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Grafton forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.941, -71.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Grafton

When: March 29, 3:30 PM EST to March 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Grafton forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.941, -71.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Coos

When: March 30, 5:45 AM EST to March 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Coos forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.690, -71.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Coos

When: March 30, 5:45 AM EST to March 31, 11:59 PM EST
Where: Southern Coos forecast zone
Coordinates: 44.690, -71.305 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Carroll

When: March 31, 7:00 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Northern Carroll forecast zone
Coordinates: 43.874, -71.203 (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

Every storm in New Hampshire in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in New Hampshire, March 1998

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5655530, 5655532, 5655529, 5655531, 5655528.