Flash Flood — Caledonia, Vermont

2011-05-26 to 2011-05-27 · near Ricker Mills, Caledonia, Vermont

Event narrative

Devastating flash flooding resulted from over 5 inches of rainfall in just a few hours the evening of May 26. Roads were washed out in Lyndon, St. Johnsbury, Danville, Kirby, and Barnet, and swift water rescues were needed in St. Johnsbury. In Barnet, a portion of Route 5 and an adjacent railroad track were washed out by a tributary to the Passumpsic River. Portions of Route 302 were closed in Groton and Ryegate. Route 5 was flooded by the Passumpsic River from Lyndonville to Saint Johnsbury Center, and Route 2 was closed east of St. Johnsbury.

Wider weather episode

A surface low as well as upper atmospheric energy traveled along a quasi-stationary boundary across northern New York and Vermont during the afternoon and evening of May 26th. The air mass ahead of this boundary was moderately to largely unstable and the combination lead to numerous reports of damaging winds and very large hail (up to 2.5 inches in diameter). Some 25,000+ customers lost power during these storms.

In addition, several rounds of thunderstorms traversed the same areas in central Vermont near the Route 2 corridor between Middlesex and Lunenburg. The end result of 3 to 5+ inches of rainfall and severe flash flooding and resultant river flooding as well.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.1962, -72.3285)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 310147. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.