Flooding in Connecticut, October 29 to 31, 2003

Name: Flooding in Connecticut, October 29 to 31, 2003
Start: 2003-10-29T15:07
End: 2003-10-31T10:50
Location: Connecticut

October 29 to 31, 2003 · NWS ALY · 3 events in 1 county or zone

Two rainstorms took place on October 26-27 and again on October 29 across Litchfield County. The two storms produced 3-6 inches of rainfall across this region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 ALY wrote it up.

Two rainstorms took place on October 26-27 and again on October 29 across Litchfield County. The two storms produced 3-6 inches of rainfall across this region. The result was some minor flooding on the Housatonic and Pomperaug Rivers on October 29 and 30. The gage at Falls Village on the Housatonic went two tenths of a foot over its 7-foot flood stage at Falls Village. The stage at Gaylordsville barely exceeded its 8-foot flood stage. The gage at Southbury on the Pomperaug hit 8.83 feet, 0.83 above the flood stage. No problems were reported to the National Weather Service with this minor flooding.

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 Albany, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 29, 2:16 PM EST, 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 29, 2:16 PM EST, 51 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 29, 4:07 AM EST, 11 hours before

CTZ001-013-MAZ001-025-NYZ032-033-038>043-047>054-058>061-063>066-082>
084-VTZ013>015-290000-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
407 AM EST WED OCT 29 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EASTERN NEW YORK AND ADJACENT
WESTERN NEW ENGLAND.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL
4 PM TODAY

IN NEW YORK THE WATCH IS FOR...

COLUMBIA...DUTCHESS...RENSSELAER...SCHOHARIE...ULSTER...SOUTHERN
WASHINGTON

IN VERMONT THE WATCH IS FOR...

BENNINGTON AND WINDHAM.

IN MASSACHUSETTS THE WATCH IS FOR...

BERKSHIRE

IN CONNECTICUT THE WATCH IS FOR...

LITCHFIELD

AREAS OF HEAVY RAIN WERE FALLING FROM THE LOWER CATSKILLS INTO
SOUTHWESTERN NEW ENGLAND EARLY THIS MORNING. THERE IS A POTENTIAL
FOR UP TO 2 INCHES OF RAINFALL IN THE WATCH AREA BEFORE RAIN TAPERS
OFF AROUND NOON.  THESE AREAS EXPERIENCED HEAVY RAINFALL MONDAY
SWELLING MANY TRIBUTARIES TO VERY CLOSE TO BANKFULL.

.DAYS TWO THOUGH SEVEN...NO SEVERE WEATHER IS ANTICIPATED. DRY
WEATHER IS EXPECTED MOST OF THIS TIME.

SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTERS MIGHT BE ACTIVATED LATER
THIS MORNING IF WIDESPREAD FLOODING IS IMMINENT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 29, 9:51 AM EST, 5 hours 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
1051 AM EDT WED OCT 29 2003

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0935 AM    TORRINGTON                CT   FLOODING
10/29/03   LITCHFIELD                     3 SMALL CREEKS FLOODING

0950 AM    WINSTED                   CT   FLOODING
10/29/03   LITCHFIELD                     MAD CREEK FLOODING

1030 AM    GUILDERLAND               NY   FLOODING
10/29/03   ALBANY                         EXTENSIVE FLOODING ON RT
                                          20 - WESTERN AVENUE NEAR
                                          STUYVESANT PLAZA.

Special weather statement, Oct 29, 10:40 AM EST, 4 hours 27 minutes before

NYZ050-291700-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
1040 AM EST WED OCT 29 2003

IN SOUTHERN SARATOGA COUNTY...ROUTES 4 AND 32 ARE CLOSED BETWEEN
MECHANICVILLE AND WATERFORD. REPORTS INDICATE ABOUT 4 TO 6 INCHES OF
WATER ON THE ROADWAY...AND PART OF THE ROAD MAY HAVE BEEN WASHED OUT
NEAR BROOKWOOD ROAD. THE HEAVY RAIN HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA...AND
THE FLOODING ALONG THE ROADWAY WILL IMPROVE BY NOON.

Local storm report, Oct 29, 2:54 PM EST, 13 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Northern Litchfield

When: October 29, 3:07 PM EST to 5:37 PM EST
Where: Northern Litchfield forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.847, -73.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Litchfield

When: October 30, 8:42 AM EST to October 31, 10:50 AM EST
Where: Northern Litchfield forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.847, -73.221 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Litchfield

When: October 30, 4:30 PM EST to 8:15 PM EST
Where: Northern Litchfield forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 41.847, -73.221 (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

Every storm in Connecticut in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Connecticut, October 2003

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5336087, 5336085, 5336086.