Connecticutriverflooding will likely worsen with more rain on way, weather service says
Jul. 13—The storms were forecast to have a greater impact to the west and north of Connecticut. In southern Vermont and neighboring regions of upstate New York, "additional heavy rainfall will pose a rapid increase in the risk for flash flooding following the intense rainfall and flooding earlier this week," the weather service said.
A slow-moving storm unleashed torrential rains Sunday and Monday in the Northeast, resulting in major flooding in Vermont and New York's Hudson Valley. In Connecticut, the storm washed away roads and stranded drivers in their cars, though deaths were reported.
Impacts from the storm continued to be felt Thursday. The Connecticut River, swollen by the rains, broke over its banks in Hartford and Middlesex counties.
In Glastonbury, a floating section of dock with several boats tied to it broke loose, carrying the boats down river.
In Portland, local resident Jason Pierce was sitting on the back of his boat Wednesday afternoon, and was about to go pick up the pizza he'd ordered for dinner when he spotted the boats floating by. He and two other neighbors hopped in his 13-foot Boston Whaler and motored out to the drifting vessels to save them from the current.
"We felt that if our boats broke loose, we'd want someone to do something about it," Pierce said when reached by phone Thursday.
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The group saved the boats from the swift water, which Pierce estimated was running around 10 mph. One of the vessels, a pontoon boat, was full of gas and still had keys in it, which helped the group pull off the water rescue.
Video shot by a witness shows the large section of dock sweep by as the group in Pierce's powerboat fight across the current to get to the free-floating vessels.
Pierce posted a photo of the five boats floating near his home. He said the group managed to anchor a section of the dock at a deep point in the river.
Pierce, who grew up in Portland and East Hampton, said he's seen flooding on the river in the past, but not to the extent that marinas were damaged.
"It must have been the amount of water dumped on the states north of us that," he said.
Boaters are waiting for the debris, which he said includes pilings, trees and sections of dock, to clear out of the river over the next week or so before venturing back out on the water.
"I've never seen a current that fast," he added.
In Rocky Hill and Chester, the floodwaters closed ferries, the state Department of Transportation reported. In Portland, the waters closed a section of Route 17A at the fairgrounds, according to the DOT.
In the northwest, where the heaviest rainfall was recorded, a section of Route 272 remains closed in Norfolk, where the asphalt was torn away by torrential water. The DOT reports the repairs won't be completed until at least the end of July.
There are greater chances of heavy rain and thunderstorms across Connecticut Friday and Friday night, with more rain predicted for over the weekend. The additional rainfall also poses a risk of exacerbating the existing flooding.
"The Weather Prediction Center has a marginal to slight risk for excessive rainfall for the area on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as well," the weather service's Albany office said in a bulletin for Litchfield County. "Heavy downpours from additional showers and thunderstorms may lead to localized flooding concerns on these days."
