Flooding in Maine, December 17 to 20, 2003

Name: Flooding in Maine, December 17 to 20, 2003
Start: 2003-12-17T20:00
End: 2003-12-20T04:15
Location: Maine

December 17 to 20, 2003 · NWS GYX · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

Low pressure developed over north-central North Carolina on the morning of the 17th and moved rapidly northeastward. The low intensified during the day and passed to the west of the state overnight.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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: 10

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 developed over north-central North Carolina on the morning of the 17th and moved rapidly northeastward. The low intensified during the day and passed to the west of the state overnight. The low was accompanied by a deep flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. Dewpoints in eastern North Carolina were in the mid 60s to the east of the low. A strong south to southeast wind developed across the state which enhanced the amount of precipitation that fell in the mountains. The southeast flow also caused temperatures to rise into the mid 40s at many locations. Precipitation amounts were heaviest in the mountains where over 3 inches of rain fell in places. An observer in Andover recorded 3.41 inches of precipitation. Many homes and roads were flooded. Ice jams also played a part in the severity of the flooding. At one point the town of Bethel was completely cutoff as all roads in and out of the town were closed due to ice jams. A trailer Park in West Bethel was evacuated because the water had reached 4 to 5 feet deep. The towns in Maine that were most affected were Bethel, Rumford and Canton. In Canton the local school and fire station were flooded, as well as about 50 homes. Approximately 120 residents of a nursing home were also evacuated. In Farmington, Route 4, the main thoroughfare, and Front Street were flooded and several businesses were inundated. Many roads across western Maine were washed out as a result of the combination of high rainfall rates and rapid snow melt. Some other towns affected by flooding were Solon, Bingham, North Anson, Anson, Dixfield, Milton, North Woodstock, and Roxbury. Franklin, Kennebec, Oxford, Somerset and Waldo Counties received a presidential disaster declaration due to the flooding. The rainfall and snowmelt also caused the Carrabassett, Kennebec, and Androscoggin Rivers to flood. The Kennebec River at Skowhegan was above the 35,000 CFS flood flow from 10:30 am on the 18th to 1:00 am on the 20th, and crested at 78,100 CFS at 7:30 pm on the 18th. At North Sidney, the Kennebec River was above the 17 ft flood stage from 4:30 pm on the 18th to 11:15 pm on the 19th, and crested at 22.21 feet at 12:15 am on the 19th. At Augusta, the Kennebec River was above the 13 ft flood stage from 5:15 pm on the 18th to 4:15 am on the 20th, and crested at 18.39 feet at 2:00 am on the 19th.The Carrabassett River at North Anson was above the 15 ft flood stage from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm on the 18th, and crested at 16.58 feet at 10:45 am.The Androscoggin River at Auburn was above the 13 ft flood stage from 10 pm on the 18th to 1:15 am on the 20th, and crested at 14.18 feet at 5:15 pm on the 18th.

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 Dec 17, 1:50 PM EST, 6 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 17, 1:50 PM EST, 6 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
150 PM EST WED DEC 17 2003

.DISCUSSION...
LOW PRESSURE TO INTENSIFY RAPIDLY AS IT TRACKS FROM SOUTHERN NEW
YORK...AND ACROSS MAINE THIS EVENING. THE SYSTEM WILL THEN HOOK BACK
INTO QUEBEC AS IT GETS CAPTURED THE 500 MB LOW.

THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES TO ADDRESS IN THIS PACKAGE:

FREEZING RAIN: WILL CONTINUE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY INTO THIS
EVENING FROM NORTHERN FOOTHILLS NORTH. COLD AIR HAS BEEN VERY
STUBBORN TODAY...WITH NUMEROUS ACCIDENT REPORTS THIS MORNING. AS LOW
STRENGTHENS...EXPECT WARMER AIR TO WORK INTO MID-COAST FOOTHILLS
QUICKLY...RAPIDLY ENDING FREEZING RAIN SHORTLY...WITH TEMPERATURES
RISING TO THE 50S THIS EVENING. ELSEWHERE TEMPERATURES TO RISE
SLOWLY. WINDS ALOFT ACTUALLY DROP OFF IN WESTERN NEW HAMPSHIRE.
GENERALLY EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO RISE ABOVE FREEZING BY 600
PM...WITH POCKETS OF -FZRA IN NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE TIL 800 PM.

WIND: WILL ISSUE WIND ADVISORY FOR MAINE COAST AND FOOTHILLS. ETA
SEEMS TO HAVE GOOD HANDLE...WITH WINDS INCREASING THIS EVENING.
WINDS STRONGER TO THE EAST AS THE LOW STRENGTHENS. BUFKIT AT
PORTLAND SHOWS 60 KTS TO 1K FT...WITH A 85 KT JET AT 4K FT. DO NOT
EXPECT ALL OF THIS TO MIX DOWN...BUT DO EXPECT SOME GUSTS TO 50 MPH
TONIGHT...AS THE LOW LEVEL JET CROSSES. LOW INTENSIFIES TOO LATE FOR
STRONG WINDS TO AFFECT NEW HAMPSHIRE.

HYDROLOGY: EXPECT GENERALLY 1.50 TO 2.50 INCHES OF RAIN WITH THIS.
WARM AIR ADVECTION INTENSIFIES AS SYSTEM DOES...SO EXPECT
PRECIPITATION TO BLOSSOM FURTHER THIS EVENING. HIGHEST AMOUNTS IN
MID-COAST FOOTHILLS. WILL CONTINUE FLOOD WATCH AS IS (EVERYWHERE
EXCEPT MOUNTAINS).  IF TEMPERATURES RISE TO 50S AS EXPECTED...FOCUS
MAIN CONCERN IN THE MAINE MID-COAST...WITH THE ENTIRE WATCH AREA
STILL AT RISK.

OTHERWISE...WILL HOLD ONTO SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS TOMORROW.
WITH UPSLOPING...EXPECT GENERALLY 1 TO 3 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS. QUIETER WEATHER PATTERN FOR FRI/SAT...WITH A DRY
WESTERLY FLOW. GENERALLY STICK CLOSE TO MAV MOS FOR TEMPS THU - SAT.

LOOKING AHEAD...GENEARLLY FOLLOW 00Z GFS THROUGH MON...THEN LEAN
TOWARDS A GEM/EUROPEAN/MRF BLEND FOR TUE/WED. 500 MB TROF PASSES
SAT...WILL CARRY -SHSN IN THE MOUNTAINS...DRY ELSEWHERE. HIGH
PRESSURE WILL BUILD IN SUN FROM THE SOUTH. GFS/UKMET SHOW A FRONT
SETTING UP ACROSS NOTHERN MAINE MONDAY...SUPPORTING CHANCE POPS
NORTH. MODELS DIVERGES SIGNIFICANTLY HERE...WITH CONSENSUS SHOWING
FRONT LIFTING NORTH MONDAY NIGHT/TUE. THEN A WEAK COLD FRONT CROSSES
TUE NIGHT...WITH LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN
STATES WED.
&&

.MARINE...
WILL DROP BACK TO GALES...EXPECT THE STORM TO INTENSIFY TOO LATE FOR
STORM FORCE WINDS OVER MAJORITY OF OUR WATERS. MATINICUS MAY
APPROACH STORM FORCE AS STRONGEST WINDS CROSS.
&&

.GYX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...

ME...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT AND THURSDAY: MEZ012>014-MEZ018>028.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY EARLY EVENING: MEZ007>009-MEZ012>014.
     WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT: MEZ012>MEZ014-MEZ018>028.
     GALE WARNING

NH...FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT AND THURSDAY: NHZ003>010-NHZ013>014.
     WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY EARLY EVENING: NHZ001>004.
     GALE WARNING
&&

APFFEL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Northern Franklin

When: December 17, 8:00 PM EST to December 19, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Northern Oxford

When: December 17, 8:00 PM EST to December 19, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Oxford forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Franklin

When: December 17, 8:00 PM EST to December 19, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Franklin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Oxford

When: December 17, 8:00 PM EST to December 19, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Oxford forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.500, -70.757 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Southern Somerset

When: December 17, 8:00 PM EST to December 20, 1:00 AM EST
Where: Southern Somerset forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Coastal Waldo

When: December 18, 6:00 AM EST to December 19, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Coastal Waldo forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Interior Waldo

When: December 18, 6:00 AM EST to December 19, 12:00 AM EST
Where: Interior Waldo forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.485, -69.122 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Kennebec

When: December 18, 4:30 PM EST to December 20, 4:15 AM EST
Where: Kennebec forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.409, -69.767 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Central Somerset

When: December 18, 8:00 PM EST to December 19, 12:00 PM EST
Where: Central Somerset forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 45.514, -69.959 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Androscoggin

When: December 18, 10:00 PM EST to December 20, 1:15 AM EST
Where: Androscoggin forecast zone
Reported by: OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates: 44.166, -70.206 (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 Maine in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, December 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5380104, 5380105, 5380106, 5380107, 5380108, 5380101, 5380102, 5380103, 5380100, 5380099.