The mean precipitation is 45.8 inches. The Androscoggin River, Little Androscoggin River, Taylor Brook, Bobbin Mill Brook and Lapham Brook flow within or around the corporate limits of Auburn. Development has not been extensive in or immediately adjacent to the floodplains. Flooding occurs mainly in the spring when heavy snowmelt and rains combine to cause considerable runoff. Flooding can also occur in the fall, from hurricanes and tropical storms.
Ice is a major hazard in the spring, causing even greater flooding.
In addition, ice jams pose a major threat to bridges and other structures along rivers and streams. Damaging floods have been recorded in the Little Androscoggin basin as early as 1855. The City of Auburn is an industrial community. The main industry is shoe manufacturing. Other important industries are the General Electric, the Goodyear Rubber, and the Pioneer Plastics plants.