52
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$10.6M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Franklin County, Maine: 52 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #579 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Franklin County, Maine: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Franklin County is the 2020s, when 28 of the county's 52 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Franklin County archive, flash flood makes up 18.2% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #579 for this hazard and #3 within Maine, putting it in the 81.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Franklin County with 12 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 1998 | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2024 | SUMMIT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2024 | CARRABASSETT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2024 | OQUOSSOC | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2024 | FARMINGTON | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2024 | NEW SHARON | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2024 | CHESTERVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2024 | BIGELOW | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2024 | SOULES MILLS | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2024 | OQUOSSOC | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2024 | WELD CORNER | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Franklin County
- Thunderstorm Wind 123
- Hail 56
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorms producing very heavy rainfall dropped 2 to 4 inches in less than three hours in the Phillips area of Franklin County. Bog Pond and Pinkham Hill Roads were undermined by running water. Scammon Road had one lane washed out. Fish Hatchery Road had 400 feet of pavement removed by rushing water.
A concentrated area of 3 to 5 inches of rain fell across southern Franklin County during the afternoon of June 29th into the early evening hours. Between 400 pm and 700 pm, a stalled thunderstorm brought 2 to 3 inch per hour rainfall rates which peaked between 430 pm and 600 pm where most of the rain fell. These rains fell across previously saturated soils and hilly terrain. The heaviest rain fell in Jay. An additional 17 roads in surrounding communities of Wilton, Farmington, and Chesterville sustained partially wash-outs or road closures from flooding. In nearby Wilton, ME-156 at Soules Hill Road and Whittier Roads sustained washouts.
Byron was hit with more than 4 inches of rain between July 10-11th. The Swift River shot up 8 feet overnight, but Maine DOT stated that water rushing down hills is what damaged Route 17 in multiple spots along with other local roads.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Franklin County, Maine?
52 flash flood events are recorded in Franklin County between 1996 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Franklin County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Franklin County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Franklin County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Franklin County, Maine.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maine/franklin-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.