Connecticut, 1999

Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in Connecticut, February 2 to 4, 1999

February 2 to 4, 1999 · NWS OKX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

In New Haven County, the Quinnipiac River at Wallingford rose above its' flood stage of 7 feet at 5:51 pm on February 2nd. Heavy rain fell across Southern Connecticut.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 OKX wrote it up.

A combination of a nearly stationary warm front lying just southwest of Connecticut and a low pressure system approaching slowly north-northeast along the coast produced heavy rain that caused flash flooding of the Quinnipiac River at Wallingford and isolated flooding of low-lying and poor drainage areas across the rest of Southern Connecticut.In New Haven County, the Quinnipiac River at Wallingford rose above its' flood stage of 7 feet at 5:51 pm on February 2nd. The river crested at 9.14 feet at 10:46 pm on the 2nd and finally fell below flood stage by 2:31 am on February 4th.Heavy rain fell across Southern Connecticut. Reported rainfall amounts ranged from 1.28 inches at Stevenson Dam in Fairfield County to 4.02 inches at Oakdale in New London County.More than 3 inches was reported at several locations:In Fairfield County, 3.49 inches was reported at Trumbull.In New Haven County, 3.71 inches was reported at Bethany; 3.29 inches at Woodbridge; 3.07 inches at Seymour; and 3.05 inches at Meriden.In Middlesex County, 3.62 inches was reported in Middletown.In New London County, 4.02 inches was reported at Oakdale and 3.77 inches at Norwich.

The radar

The Brookhaven radar (KOKX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy rain, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Fairfield

When
February 2, 3:00 PM EST
Where
Fairfield County, Trumbull
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.326, -73.447 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Middlesex

When
February 2, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Middlesex County, Middletown
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
41.451, -72.508 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, New London

When
February 2, 5:00 PM EST
Where
New London County, Countywide
Coordinates
41.504, -72.101 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, New Haven

When
February 2, 5:51 PM EST to February 4, 2:31 AM EST
Where
New Haven County, Wallingford
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
41.362, -72.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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 Connecticut in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, February 1999

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: 5696290, 5696291, 5696289, 5696288.