Preliminary Stage and Streamflow Data at Selected 

U.S. Geological Survey Streamgages in New England

for the Floods of April 2019

The combination of rainfall and snowmelt in northern New England and rainfall in southern New England

resulted in minor to major flooding from April 15 to 24, 2019, according to stage and streamflow data 

collected at 63 selected U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgages. A typical USGS streamgage measures and 

records stream stage and estimates streamflow based on a relation (rating curve) of discrete measurements of 

streamflow and the recorded stage. USGS hydrographers were deployed during and after these storms to measure 

the streamflow of the flooded rivers and confirm streamgage rating curves.

Preliminary Data Indicate...

• The National Weather Service flood stage was

reached at 36 USGS streamgages selected for monitoring; the minor flood stage category was reached

at 30 streamgages, moderate flood stage category at

5 streamgages, and major flood stage category at 1

streamgage.

• Peak streamflows for the period of record occurred at

three streamgages in Maine. Of these, the peak at the

St. John River at Ninemile Bridge, Maine streamgage

was the highest in its 67-year period of record.

• A total of 30 streamgages—15 streamgages in Maine,

9 in Vermont, 4 in New Hampshire, and 1 each in Connecticut and Massachusetts—recorded peak streamflows within the top 10 for their period of record. Two

of these streamgages, the Clyde River at Newport,

Vermont and the Saco River at Cornish, Maine, have

periods of record greater than 100 years.

• In total, USGS hydrographers made more than 210

streamflow measurements during the April 15–24

floods in New England.

Study Area

In total, 63 streamgages were selected for this report to 

provide context for the April 15-24 flooding. The 63 selected 

streamgages in New England (fig. 1) are adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean in the New England Upland, White Mountain, Green 

Mountain, and Taconic physiographic provinces (Olcott, 1995). 

Land-surface elevations of the gaged watersheds range from at 

mean sea level for many of the watersheds to more than 6,200 

feet above mean sea level at Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Average annual precipitation in the area is in the 40- to 

50-inch range, with averages greater than 50 inches in the higher

elevations of the White Mountains.

Photograph of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrographer 

using an acoustic Doppler current profiler to measure 

streamflow from a bridge at the Fish River near Fort 

Kent, Maine, U.S. Geological Survey streamgage (station 

01013500), on April 23, 2019. 

Photograph by Brianna Smith, USGS.

Photograph of an ice jam on the Aroostook River at Washburn, 

Maine, U.S. Geological Survey streamgage (station 01017000) on 

April 19, 2019.

Printed on recycled paper Photograph by Donald Dumont, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

U.S. Department of the Interior

U.S. Geological Survey

Open-File Report 2019–1052
Figure 1. Map showing locations of selected U.S. Geological Survey streamgages in New England that reached a National Weather Servicedesignated flood stage category (if available) and the rank of the preliminary peak streamflow relative to the annual peak streamflows for the 

period of record at each streamgage.

0 50 100 KILOMETERS

0 50 100 MILES

EXPLANATION

Flood category not modeled at station

Minor

Moderate

Major

1 (highest for period of record)

2 to 5

6 to 10

Greater than 10 or not ranked

1

19

55

54

Major river basin—Mapped from the 

U.S. Geological Survey Watershed 

Boundary Dataset, 2016

U.S. Geological Survey streamgage—Color 

indicates National Weather Service 

modeled flood category. Number is index for 

streamgage in table 1

Peak streamflow for April 2019 flooding 

ranked relative to historical peak—Data 

for April 2019 flooding are preliminary

MAINE

NEW HAMPSHIRE

VERMONT

MASSACHUSETTS

CANADA

CONNECTICUT RHODE

ISLAND

ATLANTIC

OCEAN

NEW YORK White Mountains

Green Mountains

Taconic Mountains

Hudson 

River Basin

St. Lawrence 

River Basin Mt. Washington

Connecticut 

River Basin

St. John 

River Basin

Penobscot 

River Basin

Kennebec 

River Basin

Androscoggin 

 River Basin

Saco 

River 

Basin

Merrimack 

River Basin

White Mountains

Green Mountains

Taconic Mountains

Hudson 

River Basin

St. Lawrence 

River Basin Mt. Washington

Massachusetts-Rhode Island

coastal 

basin

Connecticut 

River Basin

St. John 

River Basin

Penobscot 

River Basin

Kennebec 

River Basin

Androscoggin 

 River Basin

Saco 

River 

Basin

Merrimack 

River Basin

1

2

3

4

5 6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32 33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

43 42

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54 55

56

57

58 59

60

61

62

63

Shaded relief base map is copyright Esri, Inc.,

and its licensors, 2014

Hydrography mapped from the U.S. Geological Survey

National Atlas, 1995 and Esri Canada, 2014

74° 72° 70° 68°

47°

45°

43°

41°
Timeline for the Storms

Flooding resulting from rainfall combined with snowmelt 

in northern New England and rainfall in southern New England occurred on numerous rivers in New England from April 

15 to 24. On April 14 and 15, a low-pressure system moved 

through New England and produced widespread rainfall of 0.5 

to 1.5 inches regionally with estimates of more than 2 inches 

of water-equivalent from snowmelt in northern New England 

(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2019a). A 

second low-pressure system moved through New England on 

April 20–21, producing up to 2 inches of precipitation regionally (and 3.9 to 9.8 inches of snowmelt in northern New England 

(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2019a). The 

additional rainfall and associated runoff from snowmelt caused 

substantial damage to infrastructure and road closures throughout northern New England. In Vermont, officials have stated that 

the floods caused at least $2 million in damages to public infrastructure (Leighton, 2019). Road closures in Maine’s Aroostook 

County were so numerous that emergency management officials 

activated the county’s Emergency Operations Center (Whitney 

McKay, Maine Emergency Management Agency, written commun., April 26, 2019).

Flood Monitoring

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with 

Federal, State, and local agencies, collects water resources 

data at streamgages in New England each year. These data 

are valuable for developing an improved understanding of the 

water resources of the United States. To make these data readily 

available to interested parties outside the USGS, preliminary 

stage and streamflow data at continuous record streamgages are 

available in near real-time through the USGS National Water 

Information System (NWIS; U.S. Geological Survey, 2019). 

Preliminary data are provisional and subject to revision until 

they have been fully reviewed and received final approval. 

Final streamflow data are published in NWIS following further 

analysis of the hydraulic characteristics and the stability of those 

characteristics at each streamgage. Streamflow data are summarized annually by water year, which is the 12-month period 

October 1 through September 30 (designated by the calendar 

year in which it ends).

General Weather Conditions

The accumulated snow cover was a considerable further 

factor in the flooding from April 15 to 24. Modeled snow-water 

equivalent for April 14 was estimated to be more than 20 inches 

of water in parts of the Green and White Mountains (fig. 2).

The low-pressure system that passed through New England on April 14 and 15 produced snowmelt estimates of up 

to 3-inches of water equivalent, based on 48-hour modeled 

snowmelt (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 

2019b). The second low-pressure system that moved through the 

area on April 20 produced precipitation totals of 0.25 to 2 inches 

over most of New England with additional snowmelt. At the 

high elevations of the White Mountains in northern New Hampshire and in western Maine, modeled snowmelt totals of 3.9 to 

9.8 inches were estimated for April 20 and 21 (National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration, 2019b).

Figure 2. Screenshot showing the National Weather Service modeled snow-water equivalent for April 14, 2019; from National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (2019a).
Methods Used To Collect Streamflow 

Data

The USGS currently [2019] operates 411 real-time 

streamgages in New England to characterize hydrologic conditions. A typical USGS streamgage measures and records stream 

stage at 5- to 15 minute intervals using established techniques 

(Rantz and others, 1982; Turnipseed and Sauer, 2010) and estimates streamflow based on a relation of discrete measurements 

of streamflow and the recorded stage. This stage-to-streamflow 

relation is referred to as the rating curve (fig. 3). The USGS routinely collects discrete measurements of streamflow (fig. 4) using 

established techniques (Rantz and others, 1982; Turnipseed and 

Sauer, 2010; Mueller and others, 2009). To continually confirm a 

rating curve, streamflow measurements are made over the range 

of observed hydrologic conditions at a streamgage each year.

Floods of April 15–24, 2019

During the April 15–24 floods, USGS hydrographers made 

more than 210 streamflow measurements in New England to 

verify, update, or extend existing rating curves. Flooding on 

April 15–17 generally affected northern New England, including 

parts of northwestern Maine, southwestern to northern Vermont, and the mainstem of the Connecticut River from central 

New Hampshire to southern Connecticut. As waters rose in 

northern New Hampshire and Maine, ice jams formed at three 

USGS streamgages. An ice jam on the St. John River at the St. 

John River at Ninemile Bridge, Maine streamgage caused the 

river stage to reach the National Weather Service (NWS) flood 

stage, whereas the peak stage associated with an ice jam on the 

Diamond River near Wentworth Location, New Hampshire, 

was the highest recorded in the 76-year period of record for the 

streamgage (table 1). Ten streamgages in New England reached 

the NWS minor to major flood category during this series of 

storms. Six of the 10 streamgages experiencing minor to major Stage, in feet

15.00

10.00

8.00

6.00

5.00

4.00

3.00

2.50

1 10050201052 2,0001,000500200 6,000

Streamflow, in cubic feet per second

EXPLANATION

April 2019 streamflow measurement

Updated rating curve based on April 2019

streamflow measurements

Pre-established rating curve

Figure 3. Pre-established rating curve (black) and updated rating 

curve (red) based on streamflow measurements made during the 

April 2019 event at the Kingsbury Stream at Abbot Village, Maine, 

U.S. Geological Survey streamgage (station 01031450).

flooding were in the Connecticut, Hudson, and Saint Lawrence 

Rivers Basins in Vermont (table 1). Minor flooding was experienced along the Connecticut River in West Lebanon, N.H., 

Montague City, Massachusetts, and Thompsonville, Hartford, 

and Middle Haddam, Connecticut.

Flooding on April 20–24 was widespread throughout New 

England based on peak streamflows at 48 streamgages (table 

1). Twenty-six streamgages reached a minor to moderate NWS 

flood stage category in the St. John, Penobscot, Kennebec, 

Androscoggin, Saco, Merrimack, Connecticut, and St. Lawrence 

Rivers Basins (table 1).

To gain a historical perspective on the relative magnitude 

of the flood, peak streamflows at the 63 selected streamgages 

were ranked against previously recorded peaks of record (fig. 

1; table 1). Forty-six of the 63 selected streamgages have more 

than 50 years of streamflow record, and 21 of these 46 longterm streamgages recorded preliminary streamflow peaks rank 

within the top 10 for their periods of record. Several of these 

rivers had historic streamflows during this flood. For example, 

the streamgage on the St. John River at Ninemile Bridge, Maine, 

recorded the largest streamflow in the 67 years of record, the 

Clyde River at Newport, Vermont streamgage recorded the 

fourth largest streamflow in the 101 years of record, and the 

St. Croix River at Vanceboro, Maine streamgage recorded the 

largest streamflow since 1984 and third largest in the 89 years of 

record (fig. 5; table 1).

Figure 4. Photograph of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) hydrographer 

using an acoustic Doppler current profiler to measure streamflow 

at the Ottauquechee River near West Bridgewater, Vermont, USGS 

streamgage (station 01150900) on April 18, 2019. Photograph by 

Richard Kiah, USGS.
Table 1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data collected at select streamgages in New England for the floods of April 15–24, 2019.

[Orange shading indicates streamgages where the peak stage was greater than the National Weather Service (NWS)-established flood stage; red shading indicates streamgages where the peak stage was greater than the NWS-established moderate flood stage; purple shading indicates streamgages where the peak stage was greater than the NWS-established major flood stage. mi2, square mile; ft, foot; ft3/s, cubic foot 

per second; NA, not applicable; Mtn, Mountain; R, River; nr, near; Brk, Brook; NH, New Hampshire; Vt, Vermont; MA, Massachusetts; CT, Connecticut]

Map 

number

Station 

number Station name

Preliminary peaks for April 15–24, 2019 Historical (period of record) peak

Peak stage Peak streamflow

Drainage

area

(mi2)

NWS 

flood 

stage

(ft)

Date Stage (ft) Date Streamflow (ft3/s) Ranka Number of water years Water year Streamflow (ft3/s)

St. John River Basin

1 01010000 St. John River at Ninemile Bridge, Maine 1,341 15.00 4/16/2019 19.10b 4/22/2019 47,700 1 67 1974 44,400

2 01010070 Big Black River near Depot Mtn, Maine 171 12.00 4/21/2019 14.03b NA NA NA 36 1987 8,6803 01010500 St. John River at Dickey, Maine 2,680 25.00 4/15/2019 20.55b 4/23/2019 85,900 4 71 2008 104,0004 01011000 Allagash River near Allagash, Maine 1,478 15.00 4/23/2019 11.91 4/23/2019 26,400 8 86 2008 40,900

5 01011500 St. Francis River near Connors, New Brunswick 524 NA 4/24/2019 11.52 4/24/2019 9,850 13 65 2008 18,700

6 01013500 Fish River near Fort Kent, Maine 873 11.00 4/23/2019 10.94 4/23/2019 13,700 5 93 2008 18,300

7 01014000 St. John River below Fish R, nr Fort Kent, Maine 5,929 22.50 4/23/2019 23.39 4/23/2019 137,000 6 91 2008 183,0008 01015800 Aroostook River near Masardis, Maine 892 17.00 4/22/2019 16.22 4/22/2019 21,900 4 60 2008 29,5009 01017000 Aroostook River at Washburn, Maine 1,654 14.00 4/20/2019 19.66 4/22/2019 40,900 5 87 2008 49,50010 01017060 Hardwood Brook below Glidden Brk nr Caribou, Maine 5.7 NA 4/20/2019 4.89 4/20/2019 544 1 9 2010 50611 01017290 Little Madawaska River at Caribou, Maine 234 NA 4/22/2019 10.14 4/22/2019 7,050 1 9 2012 5,94012 01017550 Williams Brook at Phair, Maine 3.82 NA 4/20/2019 4.96 4/20/2019 189 3 18 2014 364

St. Croix River Basin

13 01018500 St. Croix River at Vanceboro, Maine 413 NA 4/23/2019 11.05 4/23/2019 6,630 3 89 1984 6,730

14 01019000 Grand Lake Stream at Grand Lake Stream, Maine 228.3 NA 4/23/2019 5.51 4/23/2019 2,080 10 89 2005 3,990

Penobscot River Basin

15 01029200 Seboeis River near Shin Pond, Maine 173 NA 4/22/2019 10.86 4/22/2019 4,050 4 20 2008 6,35016 01029500 East Branch Penobscot River at Grindstone, Maine 837 13.00 4/22/2019 12.22 4/22/2019 21,100 16 99 1923 37,00017 01030500 Mattawamkeag River near Mattawamkeag, Maine 1,418 13.50 4/24/2019 15.78 4/24/2019 23,900 13 115 1923 46,600

18 01034500 Penobscot River at West Enfield, Maine 6,422 18.00 4/22/2019 17.11 4/22/2019 86,100 24 116 1923 153,000

Kennebec River Basin

19 01044550 Spencer Stream near Grand Falls, Maine 193 NA 4/22/2019 8.75 4/22/2019 6,350 3 18 2008 7,470

20 01049265 Kennebec River at North Sidney, Maine 5403 17.00 4/21/2019 17.50 4/21/2019 64,400 17 32 1987 232,00021 01049320 Kennebec River at Calumet Bridge at Augusta, Maine 5513 12.00 4/21/2019 14.16 NA NA NA NA NA NA

Androscoggin River Basin

22 01052500 Diamond River near Wentworth Location, NH 152 NA 4/15/2019 12.15b 4/21/2019 7,490 11 76 1998 12,800

23 01054000 Androscoggin River near Gorham, NH 1,361 8.00 4/22/2019 8.83 4/22/2019 15,400 19 105 1923 21,900

24 01054300 Ellis River at South Andover, Maine 130 NA 4/21/2019 17.11 4/21/2019 4,930 15 36 2003 7,83025 01054500 Androscoggin River at Rumford, Maine 2,068 15.00 4/21/2019 16.00 4/21/2019 41,700 14 125 1936 74,000

26 01055000 Swift River near Roxbury, Maine 96.9 7.00 4/20/2019 8.67 4/20/2019 6,810 43 88 1959 16,80027 01059000 Androscoggin River near Auburn, Maine 3,263 13.00 4/22/2019 14.07 4/22/2019 49,300 21 89 1936 135,000

Saco River Basin

28 01064500 Saco River near Conway, NH 385 9.00 4/21/2019 11.13 4/21/2019 21,700 31 94 2011 58,200

29 01066000 Saco River at Cornish, Maine 1,293 NA 4/24/2019 12.96 4/24/2019 20,600 10 101 1936 46,600

Merrimack River Basin

30 01075000 PEMIGEWASSET RIVER AT WOODSTOCK, NH 193 9.00 4/20/2019 11.30 4/20/2019 18,200 18 73 2011 53,700

31 01076500 PEMIGEWASSET RIVER AT PLYMOUTH, NH 622 13.00 4/21/2019 16.42 4/21/2019 26,200 30 114 1936 65,400

32 01098530 SUDBURY RIVER AT SAXONVILLE, MA 106 10.00 4/23/2019 10.67 4/23/2019 1,090 14 38 2010 2,570
Table 1. Preliminary peak stage and streamflow data collected at select streamgages in New England for the floods of April 15–24, 2019.—Continued

[Orange shading indicates streamgages where the peak stage was greater than the National Weather Service (NWS)-established flood stage; red shading indicates streamgages where the peak stage was greater than the NWS-established moderate flood stage; purple shading indicates streamgages where the peak stage was greater than the NWS-established major flood stage. mi2, square mile; ft, foot; ft3/s, cubic foot 

per second; NA, not applicable; Mtn, Mountain; R, River; nr, near; Brk, Brook; NH, New Hampshire; Vt, Vermont; MA, Massachusetts; CT, Connecticut]

Preliminary peaks for April 15-24, 2019 Historical (period of record) peak

Peak Stage Peak Streamflow

Map 

number Station number Station name

Drainage

area

(mi2)

NWS 

flood 

stage

(ft) Date

Stage

(ft) Date

Streamflow 

(ft3/s) Ranka

Number

of water 

years

Water 

year

Streamflow

(ft3/s)

Massachusetts-Rhode Island Coastal Basin

33 01105585 TOWN BROOK AT QUINCY, MA 4.11 NA 4/22/2019 6.50 4/22/2019 398 4 33 2013 469

Connecticut River Basin

34 01129200

CONNECTICUT R BELOW INDIAN STREAM NR

PITTSBURG, NH 254 NA 4/20/2019 7.19 4/20/2019 4,650 7 61 2011 6,550

35 01129500 CONNECTICUT RIVER AT NORTH STRATFORD, NH 799 13.00 4/21/2019 13.36 4/21/2019 22,700 7 87 1998 32,300

36 01130000 UPPER AMMONOOSUC RIVER NEAR GROVETON, NH 232 NA 4/21/2019 8.48 4/21/2019 8,250 8 71 1969 24,100

37 01131500 CONNECTICUT RIVER NEAR DALTON, NH 1,514 17.00 4/22/2019 22.35 4/22/2019 37,300 5 90 1936 48,300

38 01133000 EAST BRANCH PASSUMPSIC RIVER NEAR EAST HAVEN, VT 53.8 6.50 4/20/2019 8.20 4/20/2019 2,240 8 58 1973 4,450

39 01134500 MOOSE RIVER AT VICTORY, VT 75.2 NA 4/21/2019 10.76 4/21/2019 3,510 5 71 1973 4,940

40 01135500 PASSUMPSIC RIVER AT PASSUMPSIC, VT 436 14.00 4/21/2019 17.25 4/21/2019 12,200 7 90 1973 18,200

41 01137500 AMMONOOSUC RIVER AT BETHLEHEM JUNCTION, NH 87.6 8.00 4/20/2019 8.07 4/20/2019 4,420 33 78 1995 11,300

42 01138500 CONNECTICUT RIVER AT WELLS RIVER, VT 2,644 11.00 4/23/2019 12.27 4/23/2019 41,100 15 68 1973 57,100

43 01139000 WELLS RIVER AT WELLS RIVER, VT 98.4 6.00 4/15/2019 7.21 4/15/2019 3,320 8 77 1973 5,970

44 01142500 AYERS BROOK AT RANDOLPH, VT 30.5 8.00 4/15/2019 9.55 4/15/2019 2,010 5 79 2011 3,920

45 01144000 WHITE RIVER AT WEST HARTFORD, VT 690 18.00 4/15/2019 15.66 4/15/2019 26,900 17 102 1927 120,00046 01144500 CONNECTICUT RIVER AT WEST LEBANON, NH 4,092 22.00 4/15/2019 22.22 4/15/2019 65,300 17 104 1927 136,00047 01150900 OTTAUQUECHEE RIVER NEAR WEST BRIDGEWATER, VT 23.4 NA 4/15/2019 8.79 4/15/2019 1,540 6 33 2011 9,070

48 01153550 WILLIAMS RIVER NEAR ROCKINGHAM VT 112 8.00 4/15/2019 8.18 4/15/2019 5,060 21 30 2011 21,300

49 01170500 CONNECTICUT RIVER AT MONTAGUE CITY, MA 7,860 28.00 4/16/2019 28.52 4/16/2019 81,700 64 114 1936 236,000

50 01184000 CONNECTICUT RIVER AT THOMPSONVILLE, CT 9,660 15.00 4/17/2019 15.54 4/17/2019 90,700 51 89 1936 282,000

51 01190070 CONNECTICUT RIVER AT HARTFORD, CT 10,487 16.00 4/24/2019 19.58 NA NA NA NA NA NA

52 01193050 CONNECTICUT RIVER AT MIDDLE HADDAM, CT 10,897 7.00 4/24/2019 9.65 4/23/2019 93500 4 7 2011 120,000

Hudson River Basin

53 01334000 WALLOOMSAC RIVER NEAR NORTH BENNINGTON, VT 111 7.00 4/15/2019 7.32 4/15/2019 3,430 42 86 2011 9420

St. Lawrence River Basin

54 04280000 POULTNEY RIVER BELOW FAIR HAVEN, VT 187 20.00 4/15/2019 18.20 4/15/2019 6,720 12 89 1945 14,800

55 04282000 OTTER CREEK AT CENTER RUTLAND, VT 307 8.00 4/15/2019 12.34 4/15/2019 9,040 9 89 2011 15,700

56 04282500 OTTER CREEK AT MIDDLEBURY, VT 628 NA 4/21/2019 7.17 4/21/2019 5,950 16 102 1927 13,60057 04285500 NORTH BRANCH WINOOSKI RIVER AT WRIGHTSVILLE, VT 69.2 NA 4/20/2019 4.20 4/20/2019 971 22 85 1927 17,200

58 04290500 WINOOSKI RIVER NEAR ESSEX JUNCTION, VT 1,044 12.00 4/16/2019 13.74 4/16/2019 20,900 45 90 1927 113,000

59 04292000 LAMOILLE RIVER AT JOHNSON, VT 310 13.00 4/20/2019 14.14 4/20/2019 9,300 17 91 1995 19,000

60 04293000 MISSISQUOI RIVER NEAR NORTH TROY, VT 131 9.00 4/20/2019 10.21 4/20/2019 6,140 16 86 2002 11,500

61 04294500 LAKE CHAMPLAIN AT BURLINGTON, VT 100.00 4/24/2019 100.62 NA NA NA NA NA NA

62 04296280 BARTON RIVER NEAR COVENTRY, VT 155 8.00 4/20/2019 9.09 4/20/2019 2,500 6 7 2011 6,070

63 04296500 CLYDE RIVER AT NEWPORT, VT 142 NA 4/23/2019 8.81 4/23/2019 2,990 4 101 1936 3,900

aRank of the maximum instantaneous peak streamflow measured during April 2019 compared with all systematic and historic annual peaks recorded through water year 2017.bIce jam.
Figure 5. Screenshot of annual peak streamflow at the St. 

Croix River at Vanceboro, Maine, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

streamgage (station 01018500) for water years 1929 to 2017 and 

preliminary peak streamflow for April 23, 2019, from the USGS 

National Water Information System (U.S. Geological Survey, 2019).

Summary

Rainfall combined with snowmelt in northern New England 

and rainfall in southern New England resulted in minor to major 

flooding from April 15 to 24, 2019. On April 15, a low- pressure 

system moved into New England. The resulting storm produced 

as much as 2.5 inches of rainfall in New England and 3 inches 

of snowmelt in the Green and White Mountains. A second 

low-pressure system passed through New England on April 20 

and produced as much as 2 inches of rainfall in New England 

and upwards of 9.8 inches of snowmelt in the Green and White 

Mountains. These storms led to flooding in the St. John, St. 

Croix, Penobscot, Kennebec, Androscoggin, Saco, Connecticut, 

Merrimack, Hudson, and St. Lawrence Rivers Basins, as was 

determined by characterizations at 63 selected U.S. Geological 

Survey (USGS) streamgages in those drainage areas.

The April 15–17 flood primarily affected northern New 

England as indicated by 15 streamgages that recorded a peak 

stage or streamflow during this event. The April 20–24 flood was 

more widespread throughout New England with 48 streamgages 

across northern and southern New England recording a peak 

streamflow during this period. During the April 15–17 and 20–24 

floods, the rivers at 10 and 26 streamgages, respectively, reached 

the National Weather Service (NWS) minor flood stage. Rivers 

at 30 of the 36 USGS streamgages reached the NWS minor flood 

stage category, 5 reached the moderate flood stage category, and 

1 reached the major flood stage category during these two floods.

Three streamgages in Maine recorded their period-of-record 

peak streamflow during these floods, of which the St. John 

River at Ninemile Bridge, Maine was the largest in its 67-year 

record; the other two streamgages where record peak streamflow 

was recorded had less than 10 years of record. Thirty of the 63 

streamgages recorded preliminary peak streamflows in the top 10 

for their periods of record: 15 in Maine, 9 in Vermont, 4 in New 

Hampshire, 1 in Connecticut. Twenty-one of 46 streamgages 

with long-term records (greater than 50 years) recorded preliminary peak streamflows ranked in the top 10 for their periods 

of record. In addition to the St. John River at Ninemile Bridge, 

Maine, streamgage, which recorded the largest peak streamflow 

in the 67 years of record, the Clyde River at Newport, Vermont, 

produced the fourth largest streamflow in the 101 years of 

record, and the St. Croix River at Vanceboro, Maine, produced 

the largest streamflow since 1984 and third largest in the 89 

years of record.

Screen capture from the Teledyne RD Instruments (TRDI) 

WinRiver II software, from an acoustic Doppler current 

profiler measurement at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) 

streamgage 01014000, St. John River below Fish River, near 

Fort Kent, ME, on April 24, 2019. The depth of the river (in feet) 

is plotted on the y-axis, represented by the darkest black line. 

The river velocity (in feet/second) is represented by the colors 

on the plot, and is plotted by time on the x-axis (in seconds).

Photograph of equipment on a manned boat used to measure 

streamflow at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) streamgage 

01014000, St. John River below Fish River, near Fort Kent, ME, 

on April 24, 2019. This photo faces southwest towards the Town 

of Fort Kent, ME, with the Lonesome Pine Trails ski slopes in the 

background. Photograph by Brianna Smith, USGS.
References Cited

Leighton, Matt, 2019, FEMA assess flooding damage in Vermont: NBC5 news video, April 24, accessed April 25, 2019, 

at https://www.mynbc5.com/article/fema-assess-floodingdamage-in-vermont/27260634.

Mueller, D.S., Wagner, C.R., Rehmel, M.S., Oberg, K.A., and 

Rainville, Francois, 2009, Measuring discharge with acoustic 

Doppler current profilers from a moving boat (ver. 2.0, March 

2014): U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 

3, chap. A22, 95 p. [Also available at https://doi.org/10.3133/

tm3A22.]

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2019a, 

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and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service 

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By Richard G. Kiah, Brianna A. Smith, and Nicholas W. Stasulis

For more information about this report, contact:

Director, New England Water Science Center 

U.S. Geological Survey

331 Commerce Way, Suite 2

Pembroke, NH 03275

dc_nweng@usgs.gov

or visit our website at

https://newengland.water.usgs.gov

Publishing support provided by the Pembroke Publishing Service Center

Photograph of an ice jam on the Aroostook River at Washburn, Maine,

U.S. Geological Survey streamgage (station 01017000) on April 19, 2019. 

Photograph by Donald Dumont, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

ISSN 2331-1258 (online)

https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20191051