Maine, 2002

Flash Flood in Maine, April 14, 2002

April 14, 2002 · NWS GYX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Low pressure moving northeast from the Ohio Valley on the 13th brought 1 to 2 inches of rain to the western part of the state. The heavy rain caused the Swift River to rise about a half foot above the 7 foot flood stage between about 4 and 9 am on the 14th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
1

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.

Low pressure moving northeast from the Ohio Valley on the 13th brought 1 to 2 inches of rain to the western part of the state. The heavy rain caused the Swift River to rise about a half foot above the 7 foot flood stage between about 4 and 9 am on the 14th.

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 Apr 14, 2:00 AM EST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 14, 2:00 AM EST, 45 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
300 AM EDT SUN APR 14 2002

SEVERAL RIVERS IN FLOOD.  RIVERPRO WONT WORK.  VERY BUSY.  ALL
PRODUCTS WILL BE DELAYED.

.GYX...ME...FLWATCH MEZ007>009-012>014-020-021
          ...SCA
       NH...FLWATCH NHZ001>005-007
            FLOOD WARNING NHC007-009-019
         ...SCA

SJB

The radar

The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:45 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Oxford

When
April 14, 2:45 AM EST to 7:45 AM EST
Where
Oxford County, Roxbury
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
44.500, -70.757 (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

More

Every storm in Maine in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, April 2002

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: 5293307.