Maine floods
Every recorded flood since 1996 · 16 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,609 floods and flash floods in Maine from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 55 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the April 16, 2007 flood: 2 deaths and $101 million in damage in 2025 dollars across 21 records. Maine ranks 35th of 52 states and territories by count and 33rd of 51 per square mile.
Floods in Maine, 1996 to 2026
Flood records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1,6091996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 55average
- Deaths
- 84 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $438Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2023191 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are floods and flash floods common in Maine?
Maine averages about 55 floods and flash floods a year since 2000, 35th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2023 (191). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Maine records 522 floods and flash floods since 1996, 33rd of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Maine have the most floods and flash floods?
Per square mile, Cumberland County leads Maine: 109 days with a flood since 1996, 130.4 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Oxford County has the most flood records (195 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is flood season in Maine?
Maine's floods and flash floods by month. The busiest month is April (329 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 139 · Feb 27 · Mar 132 · Apr 329 · May 147 · Jun 143 · Jul 147 · Aug 103 · Sep 71 · Oct 136 · Nov 48 · Dec 187 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest floods and flash floods in Maine?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-16 | FloodAlfred, York County One storm episode: 21 records in 11 places, 2007-04-16 to 2007-04-17; the totals are the episode's. An area of low pressure over the southeastern United States on the morning of Sunday, April 15th, rapidly intensified as it slowly moved north to near New York City by the morning of Monday, April 16th. This intense low in combination with high pressure over eastern Canada produced Overview: An area of low pressure ... | 2 | 0 | $101M | |
| 2023-12-18 | FloodMiddle Intervale, Oxford County One storm episode: 11 records in 4 places, 2023-12-18 to 2023-12-19; the totals are the episode's. Low pressure began organizing in the Gulf of Mexico on the 16th, setting record low sea level pressures as it traversed the Southeast through the 17th. Strong high pressure over the North Atlantic created a deep southeasterly flow that drew warm air into New England ahead of the approaching storm. By the time ... | 2 | 0 | $25M | |
| 2014-04-15 | FloodHamlin, Aroostook County Mild temperatures of around 60 to the mid 60s caused rapid snow melt and runoff during the 14th which led to rising river and stream levels. Heavy rain then occurred during the 15th in advance of a slow moving cold front along with continued mild temperatures which contributed to further runoff. Rainfall totals during ... | 1 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2012-06-23 | Flash FloodBarnard Corner, Piscataquis County 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 ... | 1 | 0 | $559K | |
| 1998-03-31 | Flash FloodCountywide, Franklin County Rapidly melting snow caused by record-breaking warmth combined with rainfall to cause flooding on the Kennebec and Androscoggin Rivers and their tributaries. Many roads were closed due to the flooding. One drowning death occurred in northern Franklin County when a 39-year old man drove his truck onto a flooded Route ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1996-10-21 | Flash FloodCountywide, Cumberland County A coastal storm which was fed tropical moisture by the circulation around Hurricane Lily produced between 4 and 19 inches of rain throughout the County during a 30-hour period. Many homes and businesses were flooded. Many roads and bridges were washed out. The city of Portland was without potable water for 24 hours as ... | 1 | 0 | $28M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest floods and flash floods in Maine
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-16 | FloodAlfred, York County One storm episode: 21 records in 11 places, 2007-04-16 to 2007-04-17; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | $101M | |
| 2024-01-13 | Coastal FloodYork County · forecast zone Coastal York One storm episode: 6 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $67M | |
| 2022-12-23 | Coastal FloodYork County · forecast zone Coastal York One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $29M | |
| 1996-10-21 | Flash FloodCountywide, Cumberland County | 1 | 0 | $28M | |
| 2024-01-10 | Coastal FloodYork County · forecast zone Coastal York One storm episode: 5 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $27M | |
| 2023-12-18 | FloodMiddle Intervale, Oxford County One storm episode: 11 records in 4 places, 2023-12-18 to 2023-12-19; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | $25M | |
| 1996-10-20 | Flash FloodCountywide, York County | 0 | 0 | $19M | |
| 2006-05-13 | FloodCountywide, York County | 0 | 0 | $14M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are floods and flash floods becoming more frequent in Maine?
Maine's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Maine | United States | Maine's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 178 | 20,986 | 0.8% |
| 2000s | 637 | 54,913 | 1.2% |
| 2010s | 408 | 68,322 | 0.6% |
| 2020-26 | 386 | 43,563 | 0.9% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent floods and flash floods in Maine
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-18 | FloodNew Limerick, Aroostook County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-18 | FloodMedford Center, Piscataquis County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-17 | FloodMillinocket Airport, Piscataquis County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-17 | Flash FloodKokadjo, Piscataquis County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-17 | Flash FloodSaboomook, Somerset County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-17 | Flash FloodSaboomook, Somerset County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-07-17 | Flash FloodSaboomook, Somerset County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-21 | FloodFrenchville Lower, Aroostook County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-20 | FloodEast Lyndon, Aroostook County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-19 | FloodWytopitlock, Aroostook County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-18 | FloodMilo, Piscataquis County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-17 | FloodNorth New Portland A, Franklin County | 0 | 0 | $2K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for floods and flash floods in Maine
FEMA has declared 43 disasters in Maine for floods and flash floods, counting its incident type and declarations that name flood in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 42 were major disasters, the latest on March 20, 2024.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-20 | DR-4764 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 8 |
| 2024-01-30 | DR-4754 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 10 |
| 2023-09-06 | DR-4737 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2023-09-05 | DR-4736 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2023-07-06 | DR-4719 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 8 |
| 2023-03-22 | DR-4696 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 6 |
| 2022-03-15 | DR-4647 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 3 |
| 2018-05-30 | DR-4367 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 1 |
| 2018-01-02 | DR-4354 | Severe Storm and Flooding | 13 |
| 2015-03-12 | DR-4208 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | 4 |
| 2013-03-25 | DR-4108 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, and Flooding | 6 |
| 2011-02-01 | DR-1953 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 3 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Cumberland County: the county's whole recordThe Maine county with the most floods and flash floods per square mile
- Floods across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in MaineTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Winter storms in Maine6,207 records
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Maine3,024 records
- High wind and dust storms in Maine1,760 records