Vermont, 2002

Flooding in Vermont, June 12 to 13, 2002

June 12 to 13, 2002 · NWS BTV · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A frontal boundary stalled across portions of New York and New England and helped to focus heavy rainfall across this area. Convective precipitation moved from northwest to southeast across the area from Canada.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
$95,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 BTV wrote it up.

A frontal boundary stalled across portions of New York and New England and helped to focus heavy rainfall across this area. Convective precipitation moved from northwest to southeast across the area from Canada. Rainfall from midday on June 11th through midday June 12th averaged 2 to 4 inches with locally higher amounts in the mountainous areas. Countywide flooding of small streams and fields started during the early morning hours of June 12th and continued into the evening of the 12th. A few minor road washouts and a few minor mudslides were reported. This was followed by continued flooding of main stem rivers through late afternoon and evening of June 13th. These main stem rivers were the Passumpsic, Lamoille and Missisquoi Rivers. Flooding of the Passumpsic River resulted in significant flooding, especially in and around the Lyndonville area.

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 Burlington, VT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 12, 2:58 AM EST, 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 12, 2:58 AM EST, 2 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
358 AM EDT WED JUN 12 2002

WILL KEEP EXISTING FLOOD WATCHES INTACT THROUGH THIS MORNING.  FLOOD
WARNINGS ALREADY HOISTED FOR FIVE COUNTIES IN NORTHERN NEW YORK AND
NORTHERN VERMONT...WITH SEVERAL RIVERS ALREADY ABOVE DEFINED FLOOD
STAGE IN ORLEANS AND CALEDONIA COUNTIES.  PRECIP AXIS HAS SHIFTED
FARTHER SOUTH OVER THE PAST THREE HOURS...AND WILL CONTINUE TO SAG
SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH THE MORNING.  AFTER THE PRECIP ENDS THIS
MORNING...OUR REGION REMAINS IN A RELATIVE NULL ZONE THROUGH THURSDAY
AFTERNOON WHILE WAITING FOR THE NORTHERN PLAINS UPPER LOW TO ADVANCE
TOWARD THE REGION.  THE ETA AND AVN ARE DIVIDED ON THE TRACK OF THE
SURFACE LOW WITH THIS SYSTEM...THE ETA TAKING THE SURFACE CYCLONE AND
ASSOCIATED PRECIP UP INTO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND BY FRIDAY MORNING.
THE AVN KEEPS THE ENERGY FARTHER SOUTH...SO THAT WE WOULD REMAIN DRY
UNTIL SATURDAY.  THE HPC DISCUSSION SUPPORTS THE AVN SOLUTION...AND
IS SIMILAR TO OUR PREVIOUS FORECAST.  WE HAVE THUS GONE WITH A DRY
AND WARMER FORECAST FOR THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY.

DAYS 4 TO 7...NO CHANGES MADE TO PREVIOUS FORECAST.

.BTV...FLOOD WATCH FOR NYZ026>031-034-035-VTZ001>012 THROUGH THIS
MORNING.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Caledonia

When
June 12, 3:00 AM EST to June 13, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Caledonia forecast zone
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.465, -72.102 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Franklin

When
June 12, 3:00 AM EST to June 13, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Franklin forecast zone
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.858, -72.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Lamoille

When
June 12, 3:00 AM EST to June 13, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Lamoille forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.606, -72.641 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Orleans

When
June 12, 3:00 AM EST to June 13, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Orleans forecast zone
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
44.829, -72.244 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Vermont in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Vermont, June 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: 5304848, 5304849, 5304850, 5304851.