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Fact Sheet 2010–3003

Prepared in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency

Flood of April and May 2008 in Northern Maine

By Pamela J. Lombard

Introduction

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Severe flooding occurred in Aroostook and Penobscot Counties in northern Maine between April 28 and May 1, 2008, and damage was extensive in the town of Fort Kent. Aroostook County was declared a Federal disaster area on May 9, and the declaration was expanded to include Penobscot County on May 16—qualifying the entire region for federal assistance.

Water in the St. John River peaked at 30.17 feet in Fort Kent (5 feet above flood stage), hit the low steel of the International Bridge connecting Fort Kent to New Brunswick, caused closure of international bridges in Fort Kent, Van Buren, and Hamlin and came within inches of the top of a 30-foot-high earthen dike constructed to protect the downtown area of Fort Kent. Longterm streamgages with 25 to 84 years of record on the Big Black, St. John, Allagash, Fish, and Aroostook Rivers recorded maximum streamflows for their respective periods of record.

Northern Maine experienced major floods in 1923, 1973, 1974, 1979, and 1983 (Maloney and Bartlett, 1991). All of these floods were in late April or early May when heavy rain combined with snowmelt runoff.

First posted March 26, 2010

For additional information contact:
Director
U.S. Geological Survey,
Maine Water Science Center
196 Whitten Road
Augusta, Maine 04330
(207)622-8201

http://me.water.usgs.gov/

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Suggested citation:

Lombard, P.J., 2010, Flood of April and May 2008 in northern Maine: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2010–3003, 2 p. available at https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3003/.



Introduction

Antecedent Hydrologic Conditions and Storm Characteristics

Peak Stream Elevations

Peak Streamflow Magnitudes and
Exceedance Probabilities

Selected References



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