Flood — Piscataquis, Maine

2022-10-18 to 2022-10-19 · near Boyd Lake, Piscataquis, Maine

Event narrative

The second heavy rain event in 4 days led to flooding which contributed to a train derailment. The first heavy rain event from the 14th into the 15th produced general 2.50 to 4.50 inch rain totals. This left the ground saturated and water levels elevated. A second heavy rain event from the 18th into the 19th produced an additional 2.00 to 3.00 inches of rain. Flooding developed during the early morning hours of the 19th. The flooding overwhelmed a culvert located beneath a rail bed. Failure of the culvert led to a washout and collapse of the rail bed leaving the tracks unsupported. The unsupported tracks contributed to a train derailment during the early morning hours of the 19th. The first seven cars of a train derailed while crossing the unsupported tracks. No injuries occurred. The time of the initial washout is estimated.

Wider weather episode

Two heavy rain events in 4 days led to localized flooding in southern Piscataquis county. The first heavy rain event on the 14th and 15th produced 2.50 to 4.50 inches across southern Piscataquis county. This event left the ground saturated and water levels elevated. A second heavy rain event occurred from the 18th into the 19th. Abundant moisture was again drawn north in advance of a slow moving occluded front. Heavy rain developed during the overnight of the 18th into the morning of the 19th. Rainfall totals across southern Piscataquis county generally ranged from 2.00 to 3.00 inches from the 18th into the 19th...orographically enhanced due to upslope into the higher terrain. A railroad bed was undercut and compromised due to the failure of a culvert which was overwhelmed due to localized flooding. This led to the collapse of the rail bed which left the tracks unsupported. A train derailed during the early morning hours of the 19th while crossing the unsupported tracks. The first seven cars of the train derailed. The derailment occurred near Orneville. No injuries were reported. Removal of the derailed cars took nearly a week.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (45.1889, -68.8928)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1057736. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.