Weather - Wretched Mess Coming (Portland, Bangor: renting, buy, price)

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Sometimes we get a nice gradual thaw with cold nights and warm days. That is also the best maple syrup producing weather.

Our worst fear is a cold spring with a sudden thaw and heavy rain around the middle of April. That's when we get severe flooding like 1997.

Was 97 when Fort Fairfield was underwater? I just cannot remember what year it was to save me.

[Maine Writer]

-7* this morning, 12* today, -15* predicted for tonight.

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Was 97 when Fort Fairfield was underwater? I just cannot remember what year it was to save me.

I dunno about that but 97 was when the area I am looking to buy in flooded... I am told +/-3' in the house ...

[Bydand]

-27 here this morning in Washburn. -18 in Caribou. They say it is going to break the 0 mark and get to 4 today. Tonight they are calling for it to get cold.

[AliceT]

Originally Posted by Bydand

Was 97 when Fort Fairfield was underwater? I just cannot remember what year it was to save me.

I think you are referring to the flood of '87 Snowpack no guarantee of spring flood, experts say | Portland Press Herald

[Bydand]

Nope, just got over being lazy and looked it up. It was ion 94 that Fort was under water. There was an ice jam on the Aroostook River and backed up huge ice blocks and water 10' deep on Maine Street. I'll have to look around. I have some photos I took while working to clear up the mess downtown, the day after the water receded.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

They built a big earthen barrier and flood wall in Fairfield to prevent another occurrance. The Canadians have a special barge with an excavator on it to break up ice when the river begins to rise. They have it on wheels so it can be moved wherever it's needed. It came to Fairfield, but it was too late.

The big flood in Guilford and on the Piscataquis River was in 97. It flooded all the way down to Howland. The town's water supply was flooded out and a fire retardant chemical got into the water from the factory in Guilford. Budweiser shipped truckloads of canned water to Howland. It was a public relations coup because Poland Spring is right here in Maine and nobody thought of it. Some Maine rivers flood every spring. The same roads get closed and it is routine for those who live in the area. Route 11 in Grindstone and Route 16 in Abbott come immediately to mind. The Penobscot River used to flood around Costigan every year, but with the dam at Old Town under better control we don't see the sudden rises any more.

It's fun to watch the ice go out in a river. It often happens all at once. The Mattawamkeag River will be something to watch when it happens this year.

[forest beekeeper]

Now with the 'river coalition' changing the river: by both removing some dams and adding other dams to allow for fish migration. How will that effect the river?

[dmyankee]

The flood of '87 was intense!

The 5 foot snow pack around Greenville melted inside of a week. Then we had about 7" of measured rainfall all at once.

It all flowed down stream.

There were houses floating in the middle of the road in Guilford. An awesome sight it was!

[starwalker]

Map of real-time streamflow compared to historical streamflow for the day of the year (Maine)

For fellow "weather geeks" if you haven't found it yet.. K is worried about the place we are looking at, regarding flooding, and has been digging on the 'net. He is a good "data miner"...