Flooding in Vermont, October 29, 2003

Name: Flooding in Vermont, October 29, 2003
Start: 2003-10-29T10:20
End: 2003-10-29T17:30
Location: Vermont

October 29, 2003 · NWS BTV · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

An area of low pressure over the New York City area on the morning of Wednesday, October 29th moved rapidly northeast across New England. Heavy rain tapered off to showers in the afternoon.

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: $4,000
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.

An area of low pressure over the New York City area on the morning of Wednesday, October 29th moved rapidly northeast across New England. Heavy rain tapered off to showers in the afternoon. The soil was saturated from previous rainfall. Streams and rivers rose rapidly with a few resulting in some minor flooding. In particular, the Otter Creek overflowed its banks in a few locations with 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 Burlington, VT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Oct 29, 6:30 AM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 29, 6:30 AM EST, 3 hours 50 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 29, 5:14 AM EST, 5 hours 6 minutes before

NYZ026>031-034-035-087-VTZ001>012-016>019-261214-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
514 AM EST WED OCT 29 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL AND NORTHERN VERMONT
AS WELL AS NORTHERN NEW YORK.

.DAY ONE...TODAY...

A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING UP THE EAST COAST WILL GIVE THE REGION
ANOTHER ROUND OF HEAVY RAIN...ESPECIALLY IN THE EASTERN HALF OF
VERMONT. A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL TONIGHT FOR ALL COUNTIES
IN VERMONT...EXCEPT GRAND ISLE COUNTY...AND IN NEW YORK...ESSEX AND
CLINTON COUNTIES.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

JN

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, Eastern Addison

When: October 29, 10:20 AM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Eastern Addison forecast zone
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 44.031, -73.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Western Addison

When: October 29, 10:20 AM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Western Addison forecast zone
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 44.031, -73.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Eastern Rutland

When: October 29, 10:20 AM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Eastern Rutland forecast zone
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 43.580, -73.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flood, Western Rutland

When: October 29, 10:20 AM EST to 5:30 PM EST
Where: Western Rutland forecast zone
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 43.580, -73.037 (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, 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: 5372358, 5372359, 5372360, 5372361.