Flood, Central Washington
- When
- March 29, 5:00 AM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Central Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 44.467, -70.617
Flooding in Maine, March 29, 2005
Low pressure tracking across the eastern Gulf of Maine brought very heavy rain to the region. 00 inches were reported across coastal portions of Washington and Hancock counties.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 CAR wrote it up.
Low pressure tracking across the eastern Gulf of Maine brought very heavy rain to the region. Rainfall across much of the region ranged from 1.50 to 3.00 inches...though localized totals of around 4.00 inches were reported across coastal portions of Washington and Hancock counties. The combination of runoff from the heavy rain and melting snow along with river ice led to elevated water levels on rivers and streams.Though water levels on the larger rivers rose...they generally remained within their banks below flood stage. Most problems occurred on smaller rivers and streams along with poorly drained low lying marshy areas. Most of the flooding along the smaller rivers and streams led to water covering portions of some roads...which resulted in the closing of some roads and bridges. Much of the flooding occurred in low lying poor drainage areas. Rivers and streams spilled over into surrounding marshes which filled with water and in some cases spilled across roads. Some tidal rivers also experienced flooding at the time of high tide...when water backed up in their channels. Much of the flooding was restricted to low lying roads with some bridges also closed. The flood waters did damage to varying extents some roads...bridges and culverts. Due to the elevated water table...basement flooding was common along with water backing up in storm sewers. Ponding of water due to clogged storm drains also presented problems.
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 Caribou, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 29, 3:35 AM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 29, 3:35 AM EST, 1 hour 25 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 335 AM EST TUE MAR 29 2005 .SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE WILL PASS SOUTH OF THE REGION TODAY THEN SHIFT SOUTHEAST OF NOVA SCOTIA TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL RETURN TO THE AREA FOR WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH FROM THE SOUTHWEST LATE IN THE WEEK. && .SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY)... PRECIP SHIELD GENERALLY CONFINED TO THE SERN HALF OF OUR FA ATTM AND APPEARS THE GFS HAD THE RIGHT IDEA W/ THIS SYSTEM IN FCSTG BEST QPF AMOUNTS ACROSS OUR SRN FA... ABT .25 HERE AT CAR W/ RPT OF NEARLY 2 INCHES DOWNEAST ZONES. NAM YESTERDAY ATTM SHOWED OVER 1.5 INCHES HERE AT CAR... IN ANY CASE...GFS IS THE PREFERRED MODEL TODAY AND HAS BEST PRECIP HANGING OVER ERN/SERN AREAS THRU THE AM W/ JUST A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS ERN AREAS INTO THE EVE HRS. HAVE MADE SOME MINOR TWEAKS TO POPS/WX BUT CURRENT TRENDS LOOK REASONABLE. HIGH PRES BEGINS BUILDING IN FROM THE NW TNGT AND REMAINS THRU WED... XPCT CLDS TO DECREASE TNGT W/ A PC DAY ON TAP FOR WED. WINDS WILL BE BRISK OUT OF THE N NXT 24 HRS OR SO AS LOW PULLS AWAY AND HGH BEGINS BUILDING IN BUT SHOULD REMAIN BLO ADV CRITERIA SO WILL CANX WND ADV THIS AM. WILL HANG ON TO FFA AS LAG TIME BETWEEN THE PRECIP AND SNOWMELT AND RIVER RISES COULD STILL RESULT IN SOME PROBLEMS TODAY. && .LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)... HIGH PRESSURE OVER LABRADOR WILL BUILD SOUTHWARD OVER MAINE WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AND THEN MOVE NE ON FRIDAY. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS STILL CONSISTENT WITH TRACKING LOW PRESSURE FROM THE SE US WEST OF THE REGION THIS WEEKEND. THIS TRACK WILL MEAN WARM SOUTHERLY FLOW WITH RAIN AND FOG FOR SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY. && .AVIATION... IFR CONDS IN PLACE ALL TAF SITES W/ SLOW IMPROVEMENT LATER TODAY TO MVFR XPCTD. && .MARINE... AS LOW PRESSURE MOVES EAST OF THE WATERS EARLY THIS MORNING...THERE MAY BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF GUST TO 35 KTS BUT SCA SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO COVER WINDS FOR TODAY. WINDS PRIMARILY NORTHERLY TODAY WHICH WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS SOUTHWARD FROM LABRADOR. LOADED WNAWAVE FOR SEAS WHICH VERIFIED A COUPLE OF FEET TOO LOW THIS MORNING SO BUMPED UP SEAS 2 FEET FROM MODEL FOR TODAY. && .CAR WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ME...FLOOD WATCH FOR MEZ010-011-015>017-029>032 TIL 7 PM TODAY. MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ANZ050. && SHORT TERM/MARINE...KHW LONG TERM/MARINE...FOSTER AVIATION...KHW
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 28, 11:46 PM EST, 5 hours 14 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME 1146 PM EST MON MAR 28 2005 MEZ001>006-010-011-015>017-029>032-291100- CENTRAL PENOBSCOT ME-CENTRAL PISCATAQUIS ME-CENTRAL WASHINGTON ME- COASTAL HANCOCK ME-COASTAL WASHINGTON ME-INTERIOR HANCOCK ME- NORTHEAST AROOSTOOK ME-NORTHERN PENOBSCOT ME-NORTHERN PISCATAQUIS ME- NORTHERN SOMERSET ME-NORTHERN WASHINGTON ME-NORTHWEST AROOSTOOK ME- SOUTHEAST AROOSTOOK ME-SOUTHERN PENOBSCOT ME-SOUTHERN PISCATAQUIS ME- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ALLAGASH...BANGOR...BAR HARBOR... BAXTER ST PARK...BLUE HILL...BROWNVILLE JUNCTION...BUCKSPORT... CALAIS...CARIBOU...CHERRYFIELD...CLAYTON LAKE...DAAQUAM...DANFORTH... DEBOULLIE MOUNTAIN...DEXTER...DOVER-FOXCROFT...EAGLE LAKE... EASTPORT...ELLSWORTH...FORT FAIRFIELD...FORT KENT...GREENVILLE... GUILFORD...HOULTON...HOWLAND...LIMESTONE...LINCOLN...LUBEC... MACHIAS...MADAWASKA...MILLINOCKET...MOUNT KATAHDIN...NEWPORT... OLD TOWN...PATTEN...PORTAGE...PRESQUE ISLE...RIPOGENUS... SAINT PAMPHILE...VAN BUREN AND VANCEBORO 1146 PM EST MON MAR 28 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN AND EASTERN MAINE. .DAY ONE... PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE REGION OVERNIGHT. MOST OF THE PRECIPITATION WILL BE RAIN...THOUGH SOME SNOW COULD BE MIXED WITH THE RAIN AT TIMES ACROSS EXTREME NORTHERN AREAS. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS CENTRAL AND DOWNEAST AREAS. THE GREATEST TOTALS ARE EXPECTED DOWNEAST...WHERE LOCALIZED TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. THE RAIN...TOGETHER WITH CONTINUING SNOWMELT...COULD TRIGGER LOCALIZED RIVER AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING OR FLOODING DUE TO ICE JAMS. THUS...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL AND DOWNEAST PORTIONS OF THE REGION OVERNIGHT AND TUESDAY. PLEASE SEE THE PRODUCT (PWMFFACAR) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATING TO THE FLOOD WATCH. STRONG WINDS COULD BRIEFLY AFFECT THE DOWNEAST COAST OVERNIGHT WHERE A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT. PLEASE SEE THE PRODUCT ( PWMNPWCAR ) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATING TO THE WIND ADVISORY. A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT ON THE COASTAL WATERS OVERNIGHT THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY. PLEASE SEE THE COASTAL WATERS FORECAST PRODUCT ( PWMCWFCAR ) FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RELATING TO THE MARINE FORECAST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THE SYSTEM DISCUSSED ABOVE WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE AREA THROUGH MUCH OF TUESDAY. MILD TEMPERATURES AND ANOTHER POSSIBLE RAIN EVENT NEXT WEEKEND COULD CAUSE ADDITIONAL AND MORE WIDESPREAD FLOODING CONCERNS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER RAIN AND WIND REPORTS WILL BE NEEDED OVERNIGHT AND TUESDAY. NORCROSS
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, Coastal Hancock
- When
- March 29, 5:00 AM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Hancock forecast zone
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 45.333, -67.617
Flood, Coastal Washington
- When
- March 29, 5:00 AM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Coastal Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 44.970, -67.609 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Interior Hancock
- When
- March 29, 5:00 AM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Interior Hancock forecast zone
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 44.563, -68.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood, Northern Washington
- When
- March 29, 5:00 AM EST to 10:30 PM EST
- Where
- Northern Washington forecast zone
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 44.970, -67.609 (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
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, March 29, 2005
- Flood in New York, March 29, 2005
- High Wind in New Mexico, March 29, 2005
- Hail in Nebraska, March 29, 2005
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, March 29, 2005
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, March 29, 2005
- Flood in New York, March 29 to 31, 2005
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, March 29, 2005
- Flood in New York, March 29 to 31, 2005
- Flood in Pennsylvania, March 29, 2005
- Flood in Pennsylvania, March 29 to 30, 2005
- Flood in Pennsylvania, March 29 to 30, 2005
More
Every storm in Maine in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, March 2005
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: 5441863, 5441864, 5441865, 5441866, 5441867.