Flood in Franklin County, Maine

Heavy rain and rapid snowmelt caused Route 17 to flood and cut off a main thruway to Rangeley. The flooding was the result of overland water and not from a river.

A cold front brought widespread soaking rainfall to the area. This rainfall combined with significant snowpack loss and saturated grounds to produce minor to moderate river flooding, with isolated flash flooding across the mountains. Repeated rounds of rain compressed, warmed, and ripened the area snowpack in advance of the heavier rain on Friday the 12th. The combination of rain, strong winds, and high dew points in excess of 50F over the ripe snow led to rapid melt with up to 4' water loss. Complete melt-out occurred below 2,000 ft. The ground was bare south of the foothills; however soils were saturated and offered little storage for runoff. Rainfall ranged from 1 to 2 inches for most of the region, with amounts of 2 to 3 inches in the mountains.