Ice jams, particularly during spring runoff, can produce locally severe flooding. These devices trigger when ice movement occurs and place telephone calls to National Weather Service and public safety agencies. This alerts local officials to begin on-site observation of the movement of the ice and to be alert for any sudden changes in water level caused by ice jams. The web cam images are accessible on the Internet at me.water.usgs.gov. The Maine Cooperative Snow Survey conducts surveys at sites across Maine from mid-February until the snowpack is gone from the headwaters of our major rivers.
Cooperators measure snow depth and water content weekly at specific sites.
A full statewide survey was conducted March 26 and 27. As of March 28, water content throughout the state was in the above normal range except for the area north of Moosehead Lake. Over a foot of water is present in the snowpack in the upper Androscoggin River basin, with 9 to 10 inches over the lower Androscoggin basin. 6 to 9 inches of water are present in the snow pack in the St. John, Aroostook, upper Penobscot, Kennebec, Presumpscot and Saco River basins. The lower Penobscot River and downeast river basins have less than 6 inches of water in the snowpack.