Flooding in New Hampshire
 

What's the situation up there. I heard there was flooding in NH. I'm supposed to head to Brattleboro, VT this weekend to see foliage. Is there any danger from floods?

Do not know from where you are driving. From Boston area, trip is primarily on major roads, not effected by flooding. I do not know if Brattelboro itself has had any problems, but a call to your hotel might be the best source of current info.

Forecast for today (10/12) is for 3-6 inches of rain in western MA, southern VT and NH - with rain continuing thru most of weekend.

Brattleboro is not all that far from Keene/Alstead where the severe flooding occurred. I haven't heard anything about Brattleboro, but it does sit on the Connecticut River; you might check with the Chamber of Commerce there or your hotel.

Most of the severe flooding centered around the Keene area. The small town of Alstead NH really got hit hard, and at this point a few people are unaccounted for. I think Brattleboro fared ok, except for a lot of rain. Unfortunately, the upcoming weekend doesn't look great, but who knows.

Alstead NH was particularly devasted because an earthen dam was breached. The resulting flood swept houses and vehicles away and severely damaged several bridges. 12 people are still unaccounted for and there are 3 deaths. Flood waters receded quickly however. Rain last Saturday was torrential, over 10 inches in that area. Two of the deaths were a young couple whose car was swept away. Undoubtedly there are backroads in the Keene/Alstead area that no longer exist. Rain is expected to continue this week but so far it has been very light. Not like last Saturday. Some road damage was repaired very quickly but in the Alstead area they don't have roads anymore. Should we get another heavy rain, do NOT attempt to drive thru a flooded area unless you are sure it is only a few inches deep and is not moving swiftly. Last weekend water was flowing over some bridges. There is continued concern about the level of water behind some earthen dams if we get more torrential rains. Otherwise, the flood control dams on large rivers protect large portions of the state. I noticed the Merrimack River was higher than usual on Monday but the larger dams built by the Army Corps of Engineers are well maintained and managed. There was no flooding in our town from the rivers thanks to the dam but it was the small, ordinarily quiet brooks that became dangerous. Our dirt road washed out but was quickly repaired by the road agent on Sunday morning.
Sorry, long answer. If we don't get any more heavy rain there shouldn't be any new problems. You should be able to enjoy the weekend. The colors are good but it's not spectacular in the rain.

dfrost, are you in Marlborough? Stone Pond rd? I grew up there, but haven't been back for years. Cheers, Al

Whistler Al: Stone Pond, with the little chapel, is still lovely and a favorite spot for canoers and kayakers.

Hi Al, nope, not from Marlborough. It's a beautiful part of the state. Cheers back at ya.