State and local officials are bracing for flooding in northern Vermont over the next few days as more thunderstorms are expected to dump heavy rain on already saturated ground.
Scott Whittier is the warning coordinator for the National Weather Service in Burlington. He said scattered rain is expected this afternoon, but officials are more worried about tonight and Friday.
"The event will be overnight tonight and through the day on Friday, where widespread one and a half to two and a half inches rain is expected and localized three to four inches are even possible," he said.
Whittier says officials are most worried about the potential for flooding in Chittenden, Addison, Washington, Lamoille and parts of Orange County. The main problem is that heavy rain will fall on ground that simply can’t absorb more water.
"That’s the big issue. It’s the footprint that we’ve had. May as everybody recalls, we started off beautifully and dry for like two weeks and there were people actually begging for rain. And the last 10 days of May we ended up seeing 3-600 percent of normal rainfall just during that 10 day period. And we ended up seeing the wettest May on record for Burlington. And actually surpassed the May record in 2011," he said.
Govenor Peter Shumlin is urging Vermonters to keep an eye on the weather and use special care if the forecasts for heavy rain become a reality. Officials are asking people to be careful when traveling, to never travel through water over a roadway, and to have food, water and other supplies on hand.
The governor has requested a FEMA representative to be on hand in the event of serious flooding. The American Red Cross of Vermont and New Hampshire is also prepared to act if needed.
Emergency management officials have been holding conference calls with local first responders and other officials to get them ready for the possible floods. The Emergency Operations Center will open Thursday at 6:30.
The Agency of Transportation is working to fix roads that washed out earlier this week due to flooding. And crews are on standby if more problems occur.
The Agency of Agriculture is suggesting that farmers stay alert and take precautions, such as charging generators and moving animals and equipment to higher ground if needed.
While the rainfall is excepted to slow down on Friday, rivers may not crest until Saturday, and Lake Champlain, which is nearing flood stage, will keep rising for several days.
