Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Connecticut, September 16 to 18, 1999

Torrential record rainfall, which caused serious widespread urban, small stream, and river flooding, preceded the remnants of Hurricane Floyd, which passed over Western Suffolk County of Long Island around 8 pm and across Central Connecticut from 9 pm to 11 pm on the 16th.Death: A 34-year old man drowned around 6 pm Friday, September 17th while boating in the Quinnipiac River in Meriden. The river was cresting and the flow rate was at its' peak when he drowned.Property Damage: Fairfield, Litchfield, and Hartford Counties were declared disaster areas. The initial cost estimates for damage to only the public sector included $1.3 million dollars for Fairfield County, $204,254 for Hartford County, and $53,000 for Litchfield County. These estimates do not account for damage in the private sector. This information was provided by the Connecticut Office of Emergency Management.The greatest property damage occurred in Danbury, along the Still River and its' tributaries. Over 300 homes, 2 car dealerships, an elderly apartment complex, a trailor park, several roads, and a bridge were damaged in Danbury. Rainfall return frequencies in the Danbury area ranged from the 400 to 500 year event.Urban Flooding: Serious widespread flooding of low-lying and poor drainage areas resulted in the closure of many roads and basement flooding across Fairfield, New Haven, and Middlesex Counties.Stream and River Flooding: In Fairfield County, as stated above, major flooding occurred along the Still River and its' tributaries from Brookfield to Danbury.In New Haven County, the Quinnipiac River at Wallingford was above its' flood stage of 7 ft. from 7:20 pm on the 16th until 2 pm on the 18th. The crest stage of 9.43 ft. occurred at 5:03 pm on the 17th.Rainfall Amounts: The axis of heaviest rain was oriented from southwest to northeast and extended from central NJ northeast across the Lower Hudson Valley of Southeast NY and Southwest CT. Maximum rainfall rates from 1 to 2 inches per hour lasted for at least 3 consecutive hours at Bethel and Danbury in Fairfield County. Here are selected rainfall amounts for:Fairfield County: from 3.43 inches at Bridgeport Airport to 11.13 inches at Danbury Airport.New Haven County: from 2.54 inches at Menungatuck to 6.18 inches at Ansonia. At New Haven Airport, 4.92 inches was measured.Middlesex County: At Cockaponset, 4.47 inches was measured.New London County: from 2.32 inches at Waterford to 5.44 inches at Jewett City.Winds: Strong and gusty winds combined with torrential rain downed many trees, tree limbs, and power lines across the area. Significant power outages resulted. Most winds gusts were from 50 to 60 mph from around 5 pm on the 16th to around 3 am on the 17th.