Flash Flood, New Haven
- When
- March 22, 1:00 AM EST
- Where
- New Haven County, Milford
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.362, -72.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding and Flooding in Connecticut, March 22, 2001
A strong and slow-moving coastal storm produced widespread heavy rain and strong gusty winds throughout much of southern Connecticut from Wednesday March 21st through Thursday March 22nd. Heavy rain, combined with rapid snowmelt from a deep pre-existing snowpack, produced significant rises on many small rivers and streams across southern Connecticut.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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 strong and slow-moving coastal storm produced widespread heavy rain and strong gusty winds throughout much of southern Connecticut from Wednesday March 21st through Thursday March 22nd. Heavy rain, combined with rapid snowmelt from a deep pre-existing snowpack, produced significant rises on many small rivers and streams across southern Connecticut. This triggered some flooding of areas adjacent to these rivers and streams. The Yantic River rose above its' flood stage of 9.0 feet at Norwich and crested at 10 feet from 10 am to 11 am EST. The river was above flood stage from 6 am until 7:30 pm EST during March 22nd. Urban flooding also occurred with this storm. On average, between two and three inches of rain occurred with this storm.In addition to the heavy rain, strong gusty winds buffeted much of southern Connecticut during this storm. Wind gusts up to 40 mph, combined with nearly saturated ground conditions, led to fallen trees and power lines, with subsequent power outages scattered throughout southern Connecticut. These strong winds also created localized coastal flooding and beach erosion across coastal sections of Connecticut. Here are some storm total rainfall amounts:For Fairfield County: 2.12 inches at Danbury, and 2.16 inches at Bridgeport.For New Haven County: 2.52 inches at Madison, to 3.04 inches at New Haven.For New London County: 1.76 inches at North Stonington, to 2.42 inches at Groton.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 21, 10:45 PM EST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 21, 10:45 PM EST, 2 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
1045 PM EST WED MAR 21 2001
PRECIP ACRS NJ HAS MORE OR LESS ENDED FOR THE TIME BEING. GAGES HAVE
COME UP AND HAVE APPROACHED FLOOD STAGE AT SOME NON FCST PT
LOCATIONS. THESE GAGES SHOULD BE LEVELING OFF BUT WE/LL WATCH
CLOSELY.
ACRS SRN CT...A BAND OF PRECIP IS CONTINUING. SMALL STREAMS MAY RISE
AND WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED. PRECIP AMTS SO FAR ARE ARND AN INCH
OR SO.
OTHERWISE...CONTINUED THE WIND ADVISORY FOR THE OVERNGT PD ALTHOUGH
MARGINAL ATTM. COASTAL FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR THURS. GALE FOR ALL
WATERS.
.OKX...
CT...FLOOD WATCH LATE WED INTO THU ZONES CTZ005>012.
WIND ADVISORY LATE WED...EARLY TONIGHT CTZ009>012.
NJ...FLOOD WATCH LATE WED INTO THU ZONES NJZ002>006-011.
NY...FLOOD WATCH LATE WED INTO THU ZONES NYZ067>081.
WIND ADVISORY OVERNIGHT...NYZ072>081.
COASTAL FLOOD WATCH THU THRU THU NIGHT NYZ071>081-CTZ009>0Q12
NJZ006.
MARINE...GALE WARNING FOR ANZ330-335-350-353-355-338.
EKHThe radar
The Brookhaven radar (KOKX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 06:02 UTC.
Event by event
4 flash flood, 3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Fairfield
- When
- March 22, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Fairfield County, Bridgeport
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.326, -73.447 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Northern New London
- When
- March 22, 6:00 AM EST to 7:30 PM EST
- Where
- Northern New London forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 41.504, -72.101 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Southern New London
- When
- March 22, 6:00 AM EST to 7:30 PM EST
- Where
- Southern New London forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 41.504, -72.101 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, New London
- When
- March 22, 8:00 AM EST
- Where
- New London County, Montville
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.504, -72.101 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, New Haven
- When
- March 22, 8:30 AM EST
- Where
- New Haven County, Hamden
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.362, -72.844 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Middlesex
- When
- March 22, 8:30 AM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, West Brook
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.451, -72.508 (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.
- 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
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, March 22 to 31, 2001
- Flash Flood and Flood in Rhode Island, March 22 to 24, 2001
- Winter Storm in New York, March 22 to 23, 2001
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 22 to 23, 2001
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 22 to 23, 2001
- Winter Storm in Vermont, March 22 to 23, 2001
- Heavy Snow in New York, March 22, 2001
- Winter Storm in New York, March 22 to 23, 2001
- Heavy Snow in Maine, March 22 to 23, 2001
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, March 22, 2001
- Strong Wind in Maine, March 22, 2001
- Heavy Snow in New Hampshire, March 22 to 23, 2001
More
Every storm in Connecticut in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, March 2001
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: 5238942, 5238946, 5238947, 5238948, 5238944, 5238943, 5238945.