Flood in Orange County, Vermont

Widespread heavy rainfall and substantial snow melt led to saturated soils and ponding of water and runoff across roads into streams and rivers with some gaged rivers reaching minor to moderate flood, including the Wells river where several roads and homes were flooded.

A very deep trough across the eastern seaboard allowed a deep, mild, moist flow from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean to feed into the northeast United States, including VT and NY on December 17th and 18th.

Surface low pressure across Florida on December 17th moved north along the eastern seaboard into New England on December 18th. Mild, moist air delivered 1.5 to 3+ inches of rainfall to northeast NY along with temperatures in the 40s that promoted snowmelt of approximately 1-1.5 inches. Widespread saturated soil inundation flooding such as flooded fields, yards, spilling (flowing) into basements, low-lying roads and streams, eventually into small rivers and into the larger rivers of the Winooski, Passumpsic, Lamoille and Otter Creek watersheds.

The following rivers reached major flood stage; Winooski, Mad and Lamoille with Moderate flood stage levels observed along the Passumpsic, Missisquoi and Otter Creek.