Flash Flooding and Flooding in Maine, September 17 to 19, 1999

A southeast flow of tropical moisture developed over Maine late Wednesday, September 15 as Hurricane Floyd moved slowly northeastward along the East Coast of the United States. The rains became heavier on Thursday and Thursday night as the remnants of Floyd moved toward and into northern New England. By Friday morning, the remnants of Floyd were centered over southwestern Maine. During Friday, the remnants of Floyd moved east-northeastward through southern Maine, and then into the Canadian maritimes by Saturday morning. As the storm moved to the northeast Friday, precipitation tapered to scattered showers in the southwestern part of the state, however, a steady, moderate to heavy rain continued in the western foothills and mountains. The heavy rains associated with Floyd caused small rivers and streams to rise over their banks and numerous roads were damaged by runoff. Strong winds accompanied the storm and then increased again on the back side of the storm during the day on Friday as high pressure pushed into the area. The strong winds knocked tree limbs onto power lines causing power outages which affected about 15,000 customers. Some of the stronger wind gusts reported in the state included 47 mph in Sanford; 39 mph in Portland; 38 mph in Augusta; and 36 mph in Lewiston and Waterville.Rainfall totals generally ranged from about 4 to 7 inches over much of the state, with some locally higher amounts. Much of Androscoggin County received between 7 and 8 inches of rain, with Poland reporting 8.72 inches of rain from the event. Other rainfall totals included 5.50 inches in Bethel, in Oxford County; 6.71 inches in Augusta, in Kennebec County; and 5.58 inches in Skowhegan, in Somerset County. Minor flooding occurred along the Androscoggin, Presumpscot, Kennebec, and upper Saco Rivers. The Presumpscot at Westbrook was above the 15 ft flood stage from 2:45 am EDT to 11:30 pm on the 17th, cresting at 18.32 ft at 11:00 am. The Androscoggin River at Rumford was in flood from 3:30 pm on the 17th until 8:15 am on the 18th, reaching a crest of 16 ft (1 ft above flood stage) at 11 pm on the 17th. At Auburn, the Androscoggin River was above flood stage from 12:15 am on the 18th until 4:30 am on the 19th, reaching a crest of 14.01 ft at 6:45 pm on the 18th, about 1 foot above flood stage. The Kennebec River was in flood from 1:30 am on the 18th until 6:15 pm on the 18th, reaching a crest of 13.8 ft (0.8 ft above flood stage) at 11:15 am on the 18th. In Skowhegan, the Kennebec River had flood flows from 12:00 pm on the 17th until 1:00 am on the 19th, reaching a maximum flow rate of 45,211 cfs at 7:00 am on the 18th. Flood flow in Skowhegan is 35,000 cfs.