Flash Flooding in Maine, June 24 to 25, 2001

Name: Flash Flooding in Maine, June 24 to 25, 2001
Start: 2001-06-24T22:15
End: 2001-06-25T00:30
Location: Maine

June 24 to 25, 2001 · NWS GYX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Heavy rain from a thunderstorm caused road washouts in Chesterville and New Sharon. Radar estimates in the area ranged from 3 to 4 inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: $30,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

Heavy rain from a thunderstorm caused road washouts in Chesterville and New Sharon. Radar estimates in the area ranged from 3 to 4 inches. An observer in New Sharon reported 3.32 inches in just 2 hours. The side of a road was also reported to be washed out in the town of Norridgewock where an estimated 3 to 5 inches of rain fell.

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 Gray, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 24, 7:20 PM EST, 2 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 24, 7:20 PM EST, 2 hours 55 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
820 PM EDT SUN JUN 24 2001

WL UPDATE THE ZNS THIS EVENING TO ACCOUNT FOR -SHRA ACTIVITY...AMT
OF CLDS...AND MENTION OF FG.

KGYX RADAR SHOWS LINGERING ACTIVITY ALG THE QUASI-STATIONARY FNT.
LAPS ANALYSIS SHOWS THE FNT EXTENDING FM  SRN SOMERSET SWWD THRU NRN
ANDROSCOGGIN...SRN OXFORD INTO CNTRL AND SRN NH.  STL QUITE A BIT OF
INSTAB WITH THE FNT...BUT THIS SHUD EASE AS THE DAYTIME HGT ENDS.

STILL...GIVEN THE PSN OF THE FNT (WHICH PROBABLY DOESNT MOV MUCH
WITH NO KICKER UPSTREAM)...WUD THINK THAT A MENTION OF -SHRA NR THE
FNT THRU AT LEAST MIDNIGHT IS NEEDED.  WL CONT TO MONITOR THE RADAR
FOR TRENDS.

RADAR DID A GUD JOB ESTIMATING PCPN AMTS THIS AFTN...AS GAUGE
READINGS CORRELATED WELL WITH RADAR AMTS.  THE HEAVIEST RAIN FELL
ACRS PTNS OF SRN FRANKLIN AND SRN SOMERSET.  WL HAVE TO WATCH ANY
SCT ACTIVITY HERE...SINCE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY CUD CAUSE PROBLEMS.
NO NEED FOR AN FFA...SINCE THE ACTIVITY SHUD REMAIN SCT IN NATURE.

IR LOOP SHOWS CLDS CONTINUING TO STREAM NWD...IN BETWEEN THE UPPER
LO TO THE W AND THE IMPRESSIVE RIDGE TO THE E.  WUD EXPECT THAT
BREAKS WL NOT BE VERY COMMON OVNGT.  ANY BREAKS THAT DO OCCUR WL
ONLY PROMOTE FG...ESP IN AREAS THAT RECEIVED RAFL TDY (WHICH IS JUST
ABT EVERYONE).  WL EITHER ADD OR ENHANCE THE MENTION OF FG FOR MOST
ZNS.

SINCE MOST ZNS WL SEE ONLY A SLIGHTLY MODIFIED AMS FM THE ONE WE
HAVE BEEN IN...WL PROBABLY EASE MINS UP A TAD ACRS SRN NH AND SWRN
ME.

NO OTHER CHANGES TO THE PUBLIC ZNS.

SENT THE CWFPWM EARLY TO ACCOUNT FOR WINDS THAT WUD NOT RELAX.  THIS
SHUD STILL OCCUR...SINCE THE FNT EASING SWD SHUD KICK THE PRESENT
OFFSHORE GRAD OUT.

HOPE TO HAVE UPDATED ZNS OUT BY 915 PM...

.GYX...NONE.

HAYES

The radar

The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When: June 24, 10:15 PM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where: Franklin County, Chesterville
Property damage: $30,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Somerset

When: June 24, 10:30 PM EST to June 25, 12:30 AM EST
Where: Somerset County, Norridgewock
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 45.514, -69.959 (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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Maine in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, June 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: 5256346, 5256347.