There were some interesting hydrologic conditions this past winter, including continued dry and drought conditions in northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Click here to see the geographic regions affected by these conditions.

Coastal flooding occurred in southern New England during a storm event on January 17, 2022. Ice formation and subsequent breakup led to several ice jams that caused a rapid rise in stage, resulting in localized flooding. Additionally, some U.S. Geological Survey gaging locations experienced damage to infrastructure due to the heavy ice buildup during the winter months.

Safety is a major concern when it comes to working on ice, especially river ice. The New England Water Science Center conducted an ice safety day on January 31, 2022, at Lake Attitash in Merrimac, Massachusetts, for several new employees who work on ice. Experienced staff led the training and taught new staff how to check for ice safety, practice tossing throw ropes, and gain experience with some of the tools and equipment we use to conduct discharge measurements under ice.

Click on each topic area below for more information.

Rapid Deployment Gages

There is often a need for river stage and streamflow information as well as coastal storm surge information at ungaged or nonfunctioning gaged locations. Rapid deployment gages (RDGs) are fully functional streamgages designed to be deployed quickly and temporarily to measure and transmit stream stage and coastal elevation data in emergency situations. This poster illustrates various types of RDGs. These gages can be useful for emergency managers and others. Please contact any of the Hydrologic Monitoring Program managers for more information.