Flash Flood — Piscataquis, Maine

2012-06-23 to 2012-06-24 · near Barnard Corner, Piscataquis, Maine

Event narrative

A nearly stationary thunderstorm produced 6.00 to 8.00 inches of rain in less than 4 hours in Brownville. These very heavy rains produced severe flash flooding from Brownville to Milo. Numerous roads in the Brownville and Milo areas were heavily damaged or completely washed away along with several bridges resulting in road closures. Roads heavily damaged or washed out in spots around Brownville included Route 11...Church Street...High Street...Main Road...Pleasant River Road...Quarry Road...Barnard Road...Stickney Hill Road and Lakeview Road. Gullies on some roads were 5 to 10 feet deep and 20 to 30 feet wide. A nearly 200 yard stretch of Stickney Hill was washed on to Stickney Hill Road. Damage to roads was so extensive that the town of Brownville was nearly isolated for several hours. A parking lot along Route 11 was completely washed away. The railroad tracks around Brownville were undercut and damaged in several locations. Homes...businesses and vehicles in Brownvile were flooded. Significant damage occurred to the infrastructure around Brownville with the entire town losing power. Water rescues were required for several individuals at the height of the flooding. Flooding was also reported around Milo with several roads damaged and closed. Basement flooding was also extensive in Milo. A motorist was killed (indirect fatality) around 5 AM Sunday morning when his car crashed into a gully...5 feet deep and 20 to 30 feet wide...which had been cut into the Pleasant River Road by the flash flooding. The driver was killed from the impact of the accident and not drowning.

Wider weather episode

Slow moving thunderstorms with very heavy rain developed along a nearly stationary frontal boundary beneath an upper trof during the afternoon and evening of the 23rd. A severe thunderstorm developed over Brownville during the late afternoon and evening with damaging winds. The storm then remained nearly stationary for several hours producing extremely heavy rain. Localized rainfall totals of 6.00 to 8.00 inches were reported in Brownvile over several hours during the evening. Additional rain then fell through the remainder of the night. Flash flooding produced significant damage around Brownville. A fatality occurred during the overnight hours when a car crashed into a gully on a road which had been washed out. Roads were also washed out and damaged in the Milo area with basements flooded.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (45.3133, -69.1591)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 388459. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.