Record Flooding occurred along the shores of Lake Champlain from mid-April to mid-June. 0 feet and were surpassed on April 13th and finally receded below flood stage on June 18th.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS BTV wrote it up.
Record Flooding occurred along the shores of Lake Champlain from mid-April to mid-June. NWS Flood Stages for the United States Geological Survey (USGS) gages on Lake Champlain at the ECHO Center in Burlington, VT and Rouses Point, NY are 100.0 feet and were surpassed on April 13th and finally receded below flood stage on June 18th.
Major flooding occurs with lake levels at or above 101.5 feet, which were surpassed from April 27th June 8th as the lake level exceeded its flood stage of 100 feet from April 13th to June 18th. Further, the lake level exceeded it's previous flood of record of 102.1 feet on April 28th and crested at 103.26 feet on May 6th, before eventually receding below the previous record on June 5th.
In addition, strong south to southeast winds of 25 to 35 mph (greater at times) caused extensive damage due to 3 to 5 foot wave action as well as 0.5-1 foot seiches on windward facing shores (New York and Vermont). These episodes occurred on April 23rd, May 2nd, May 22-23rd and June 1st. North to northwest winds of 20 to 30 mph caused extensive damage due to 2 to 4 foot waves and seiches around an half foot on windward shorelines (Vermont) on May 9-10th and June 1st-2nd.
These record lake levels were attributed to a combination of a 125-150 percent of normal winter snowfall, subsequent melting of that snow pack and an abnormally wet meteorological spring (March, April and May). Normal precipitation for meteorological spring within the Lake Champlain basin is 8.5-10 inches, yet observed precipitation was 16 to 26 inches (> 200 percent).
Serious and extensive flooding to dozens of lake shore roads, 500-1000 houses and dozens of businesses. In addition, the periodic closing of the Lake Champlain ferry from Grand Isle, Vermont to Plattsburgh, New York and the delayed opening of two additional ferry crossings.
Damage estimates will be incorporated into the May storm data, representing the crest of the flood waters, thus the time of the most significant impact and damage.
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 Apr 30, 9:50 PM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 1050 PM EDT SAT APR 30 2011 .SYNOPSIS... HIGH PRESSURE WILL SETTLE IN OVER THE NORTH COUNTRY TONIGHT AND PERSIST OVER THE AREA ON SUNDAY. THIS WILL RESULT IN ANOTHER DRY DAY WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION LATER ON MONDAY AND BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS WITH IT. AT THIS TIME...IT APPEARS UNSETTLED WITH IS EXPECTED THROUGH MUCH OF NEXT WEEK WITH PLENTY OF CLOUDS AND RAIN. && .NEAR TERM /UNTIL 6 AM SUNDAY MORNING/... AS OF 1049 PM EDT SATURDAY...PRETTY QUIET AND GOING TO PLAN WITH THE MINOR EXCEPTION THAT TEMPS ARE WARMER THAN FCST TRENDS THUS ERLR MIN T MAY HAVE BEEN TOO COLD...THUS BUMPED SLIGHTLY. AS OF 402 PM EDT SATURDAY...HIGH PRESSURE TO BE CENTERED OVER THE AREA TONIGHT FOR CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT WINDS EXPECTED. LOWS WILL BE IN THE 20S TO MID 30S. && .SHORT TERM /6 AM SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT/... AS OF 402 PM EDT SATURDAY...HIGH PRESSURE WILL SLOWLY MOVE EAST OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR LIGHT WINDS TO BECOME MORE SOUTHERLY WITH TIME. A WARMING TREND WILL TAKE PLACE WITH HIGHS IN THE 60S AND PLENTY OF SUNSHINE EXPECTED. SOME MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS TO MOVE IN SUNDAY NIGHT FOR PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES AS UPPER RIDGE AXIS MOVES EAST OF THE REGION AND ALLOWS FOR THE MOISTURE TO MOVE IN. && .LONG TERM /MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY/... AS OF 402 PM EDT SATURDAY...LOOKING AT A RATHER ACTIVE PERIOD. FIRST COLD FRONT MOVES IN LATER ON MONDAY FOR INCREASING CHANCES OF SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. DESPITE THE FRONT MOVING JUST EAST OF THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME ESTABLISHED OVER THE AREA. UNFORTUNATELY THIS FLOW PATTERN WILL THEN PERSIST TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY AND WITH LOW PRESSURE FORMING ALONG THE FRONT TO OUR EAST AND DYNAMIC SUPPORT INCREASING...THE THREAT FOR PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. AREA THEN SITS UNDER A DEVELOPING UPPER LOW THURSDAY FOR MORE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THEN COOLER AND SHOWERY WEATHER CONTINUES FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY AS AREA REMAINS IN A LARGE SCALE UPPER TROUGH. CONCERN WILL DEFINITELY EXIST FOR MORE HEAVY RAIN AND RIVER AND LAKE CONCERNS. && .AVIATION /03Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... THROUGH 00Z MONDAY...CONDITIONS WILL BE VFR THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH HIGH PRESSURE IN PLACE ACROSS THE REGION. WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE OVERNIGHT WITH SOME LOCATIONS BECOMING CALM AS THE HIGHS CENTER BEGINS TO TRANSIT THE FORECAST AREA. WINDS GAIN A SOUTHERLY COMPONENT AFTER SUNRISE ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE HIGH. KMSS AND KSLK WILL EXPERIENCE AN INCREASE IN WINDS AS THE GRADIENT TIGHTENS AHEAD OF THE NEXT SYSTEM. KPBG WILL ALSO HAVE GUSTY CONDITIONS AFTER 17Z TO 18KTS FROM THE SOUTHEAST DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF LAKE CHAMPLAIN. HIGH CLOUDS BEGIN TO APPROACH THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF NORTHERN NEW YORK AROUND 18Z. OUTLOOK 00Z MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... MONDAY...VFR. TUESDAY...VFR WITH PERIODS OF MVFR AS A COLD FRONT MOVES INTO THE AREA AND PRODUCES SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS. WEDNESDAY -FRIDAY...MVFR CONDITIONS AS SLOW MOVING UPPER TROUGH MOVES SLOWLY INTO THE AREA AND KEEPS CLOUDS AND SHOWERS IN THE AREA. && .HYDROLOGY... AS OF 402 PM EDT SATURDAY...NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY MORNING WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR MOST RIVERS TO CONTINUE RECEDING. LAKE CHAMPLAIN WILL ESSENTIALLY JUST LEVEL OFF AND REMAIN WELL ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. GROWING CONCERN FOR A LONG DURATION OF PRECIPITATION CHANCES WITH SEVERAL WEATHER SYSTEMS IMPACTING THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON RIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR MORE RISES ON RIVERS AND LAKE CHAMPLAIN. && .BTV WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... VT...NONE. NY...NONE. && SYNOPSIS...EVENSON NEAR TERM...EVENSON/SLW SHORT TERM...EVENSON LONG TERM...EVENSON AVIATION...EVENSON/BOYD HYDROLOGY...
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT 404 PM EDT SAT APR 30 2011 NYZ026>031-034-035-087-VTZ001>012-016>019-012015- NORTHERN ST. LAWRENCE-NORTHERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CLINTON- SOUTHEASTERN ST. LAWRENCE-SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-WESTERN CLINTON- WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX-SOUTHWESTERN ST. LAWRENCE-GRAND ISLE- WESTERN FRANKLIN-ORLEANS-ESSEX-WESTERN CHITTENDEN-LAMOILLE-CALEDONIA- WASHINGTON-WESTERN ADDISON-ORANGE-WESTERN RUTLAND-WINDSOR- EASTERN FRANKLIN-EASTERN CHITTENDEN-EASTERN ADDISON-EASTERN RUTLAND- 404 PM EDT SAT APR 30 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHERN NEW YORK...CENTRAL VERMONT...NORTHEAST VERMONT...NORTHWEST VERMONT AND SOUTHERN VERMONT. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THERE IS A GROWING CONCERN THAT SEVERAL WEATHER SYSTEMS NEXT WEEK...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...WILL IMPACT THE REGION AND BRING MORE RAINFALL TO THE REGION. AMOUNTS COULD BE IN THE MODERATE TO HEAVY RANGE GIVEN THE LONGER DURATION OF PRECIPITATION. THIS WOULD RESULT IN MORE RIVER RISES ALONG WITH RISES ON LAKE CHAMPLAIN. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. EVENSON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 lakeshore flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Record lake flood levels as well as several high wind, damaging waves and seiche events caused considerable and major flooding of lake shore roads, residents and businesses. The flooding began April 13th and ended June 18th.
Record lake flood levels as well as several high wind, damaging waves and seiche events caused considerable and major flooding of lake shore roads, residents and businesses. The flooding began April 13th and ended June 18th.
Record lake flood levels as well as several high wind, damaging waves and seiche events caused considerable and major flooding of lake shore roads, residents and businesses. The flooding began April 13th and ended June 18th.
Record lake flood levels as well as several high wind, damaging waves and seiche events caused considerable and major flooding of lake shore roads, residents and businesses. The flooding began April 13th and ended June 18th.
Record lake flood levels as well as several high wind, damaging waves and seiche events caused flooding of lake shore roads, residents and businesses. The flooding began April 13th and ended June 18th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Vermont in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Vermont, May 2011
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: 309393, 309394, 309395, 309397, 309399.