Flood in Vermont, November 20, 2003

Name: Flood in Vermont, November 20, 2003
Start: 2003-11-20T13:00
End: 2003-11-20T15:30
Location: Vermont

November 20, 2003 · NWS BTV · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A storm system moved across southern New England on on Thursday, November 20th. Heavy rain fell across Vermont with minor flooding of low lying areas in Washington county.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1,000
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 BTV wrote it up.

A storm system moved across southern New England on on Thursday, November 20th. Heavy rain fell across Vermont with minor flooding of low lying areas in Washington county. In particular, minor flooding was reported along the Winooski River in the Mooretown area. Rainfall across the county was generally between 1 1/2 and 2 inches.

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 Nov 20, 10:57 AM EST, 2 hours 3 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 20, 10:57 AM EST, 2 hours 3 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
1057 AM EST THU NOV 20 2003

.UPDATE...
PRECIPITATION STARTING TO WIND DOWN ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA ATTM.
VISIBLE SATELLITE LOOP SHOWING SUNNY BREAKS ACROSS THE ST LAWRENCE
VLY AND A PORTION OF THE NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS ATTM.  RECEIVED
REPORTS OF SNOW THIS MORNING...MAINLY ABOVE 1500 FT ACROSS NORTHEAST
VERMONT...WITH A RECENT REPORT OF SNOW AT ST JOHNSBURY VERMONT.
WILL UPDATE THE ZONE FORECASTS TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS.  WILL GO WITH
PARTLY SUNNY SKIES OVER THE ST LAWRENCE VLY...AND WILL MENTION SOME
RAIN OR SNOW OVER NORTHEAST VERMONT...AND MENTION ACCUMULATIONS OF
UP TO 3 INCHES POSSIBLE. REPORT OF 0.8 INCHES OF SNOW AT ST JOHNSBURY
AT 920 AM...AND UP TO 2 INCHES AT AN ELEVATION OF 1700 FT. SEVERAL
REPORTS OF SMALL STREAMS OUT OF THEIR BANKS THIS MORNING. RIVER GAGE
REPORTS SHOW THAT THE LAMOILLE RIVER AT JOHNSON VERMONT WAS ABOVE
ITS FLOOD STAGE OF 13 FT...AND THE MISSISQUOI RIVER AT NORTH TROY
VERMONT WAS ALSO ABOVE FLOOD STAGE THIS MORNING. WILL KEEP UP THE
FLOOD WATCH FOR NOW...BUT MAY DROP IT WITH AFTERNOON FORECAST
PACKAGE. RIVER LEVELS APPEAR TO BE STARTING TO CREST AT THIS TIME...
AND WITH SNOW OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS THIS WILL ALSO HELP TO
STEM THE RUNOFF.  OTHERWISE...NO CHANGES TO THE REMAINDER OF THE
FORECAST.
&&

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY...WEATHER PATTERN CALMS DOWN LATER TONIGHT...AS
SFC HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA COMBINES WITH MID TO UPPER
LEVEL RIDGE BUILDING NORTHWARD FROM THE SOUTHERN U.S. WITH TODAY/S
RAINFALL AND CLEARING SKIES TONIGHT...PATCHY FOG A GOOD BET.
TEMPERATURES TO STAY RELATIVELY MILD...BUT WILL UNDERCUT MAV MINS
SOMEWHAT TONIGHT DUE TO RADIATIONAL EFFECTS.

FRIDAY NT ONWARDS...NICE STRETCH OF WEATHER CONTINUES INTO EARLY
NEXT WEEK...AS STRONG SOUTHEASTERN U.S. ANTICYCLONE AMPLIFIES
NORTHWARD IN RESPONSE TO POTENT SHORTWAVE TROUGH EXITING NE OUT OF
THE SOUTHERN ROCKIES. TEMPERATURES TO REMAIN SIGNIFICANTLY ABOVE
SEASONAL NORMS WITH NEXT CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION NOT AFFECTING AREA
UNTIL NEXT TUESDAY.

&&

.BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
VT...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH 7 PM THIS EVENING VTZ002>012-016>019.
NY...NONE.

SHORT TERM...WGH
LONG TERM/AVIATION...PS

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Washington

When: November 20, 1:00 PM EST to 3:30 PM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 44.273, -72.615 (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 Vermont in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Vermont, November 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: 5330890.