Flood in Oxford County, Maine

Heavy rain and snowmelt caused the Androscoggin River to rise above flood stage between Bethel and Jay. The USGS river gage in Rumford rose above flood stage of 15.0 feet on the morning of the 15th, cresting just a few inches higher later that day. The impacts include flooding along North Road north of Gibson Road in Bethel and along Intervale Road in Hanover. Route 140 was closed between Dixfield and Jay.

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.