Images

Flood damage from tropical storm Irene, August 28, 2011, washed out Maxam Road bridge on the West Branch North River in Colrain, Massachusetts. 

A debris line was left on the ground where the river reached its peak at USGS station ID 010642505 Saco River at Bartlett, New Hampshire. This is a type of High-Water Mark that was flagged for an indirect measurement of discharge.

Debris jam from flooding after Tropical Strom Irene on the upstream side of the Bulkeley Bridge in Hartford, CT.

Satellite imagery of southern Connecticut showing the Connecticut River and the Thames River, with the Connecticut River a muddy color due to heavy sediment transport. 

The channel at Roaring Brook needed reconstruction after Irene devastated the river system due to the immense rainfall. This image was taken looking upstream from Route 7 (North St) crossing in Bennington, Vermont.

A sediment sample taken from Connecticut River at Thompsonville, CT (01184000). 

Before Irene reached New England, the USGS New England Water Science Center had to make sure our boats were running properly in anticipation of making discharge measurements in the larger rivers. In some cases, we had to get permission ahead of time to use boat ramps that were closed to the public.

This photo taken on August 30, 2011 shows what used to be the parking lot where we parked our field vehicle during a previous deployment. The rocks in the forefront used to be part of the paved parking lot that was largely destroyed during Irene. 

A High-Water Mark (HWM) at USGS station ID 01150900 Ottauquechee River at West Bridgewater, Vermont was observed at an undesirable location. It was inside the gage house and above the equipment, which was destroyed!

This photograph of the White River near West Hartford, Vermont (USGS station ID 01144000, gage on the left) was taken on August 29, 2011 and is looking upstream towards the USGS gage.

Covered bridge over Otter Creek showing a high-water mark (silt line) from Tropical Storm Irene.

USGS station ID 01144000 White River near West Hartford, Vermont. Rainfall from Irene led to flooding throughout New England including here where floodwaters damaged Route 14. Note the debris line on the bridge rail, which is the river’s peak from the storm!

USGS station ID 01150900 Ottauquechee River at West Bridgewater, Vermont. Bridge and road damage was substantial throughout New England due to the intense rainfall. Amazingly, the USGS gage survived the storm!

High water from Tropical Storm Irene at going past the Housatonic River at Falls Village, CT (01199000) streamgage, park and boat ramp on the far side of river is inundated by the flood water.

USGS station ID 01075000 Pemigewasset River at Woodstock, New Hampshire. Onlookers observing the flooded river on August 28, 2011 from just across the gage house. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/01075000/

Flood damage to Eunice Williams Road in Greenfield, MA on the Green River from tropical storm Irene on August, 28, 2011.

On Aug. 28th, 2011, this image was collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua Satellite and shows the center of Tropical Storm Irene passing over New England. State borders and coastlines are shown as black lines.

USGS station ID 01077400 Cockermouth River near Groton, New Hampshire. On August 28, 2011, during Irene the river jumped its banks upstream of this road crossing at North Groton Rd. due to the significant rainfall during the storm.

In anticipation of coastal tidal storm surge from high winds associated with Tropical Storm Irene, USGS deployed a series of storm surge sensors along the New England coastline to monitor the severity of storm surge.

USGS hydrologist holding a dry erase board to identify the storm surge sensor location deployment on August 27, 2011. The sensor is strapped to the back of a dock piling on the Saugatuck River in Westport, CT owned by the Saugatuck River Rowing Club.

USGS hydrologist pointing to the location of a storm surge sensor deployment near the mouth of the Housatonic River in Stratford, CT at the Sikorsky aircraft facility on August 27, 2011.