Flood Stage

A storm that brought more than two inches of rain and strong wind gusts to much of Massachusetts is moving away, but could still pose problems for morning commuters. A flood warning remains in effect until 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning for portions of western Massachusetts. The National Weather Service reported that a section of the Mill River had risen above flood stage and other small streams in the area could approach flood stage later in the morning. Forecasters, however, were not anticipating any major flooding.

A storm that brought more than two inches of rain and strong wind gusts to much of Massachusetts is moving away, but could still pose problems for morning commuters. A flood warning remains in effect until 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning for portions of western Massachusetts. The National Weather Service reported that a section of the Mill River had risen above flood stage and other small streams in the area could approach flood stage later in the morning. Forecasters, however, were not anticipating any major flooding.

An adult and three children were rescued by boat in Newport, where rising flood waters from the Sugar River surrounded their home. The Newport fire department said the rescue yesterday took about an hour and no one was hurt. The river is among about half a dozen around the state that were expected to reach flood stage by last evening.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. - The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee poured water on top of the already saturated Northeast yesterday, closing off inland cities and interstates as about 100,000 people in three states were ordered to flee the Susquehanna River's worst flooding in nearly 40 years. Most of the evacuations were ordered in and around Wilkes-Barre, where the levee system is just high enough to hold back the river if it crests at the predicted level. Even if the levees hold, 800 to 900 unprotected homes were in danger.

OMAHA — The scramble is nearly over to fill thousands of sandbags and construct last-minute levees to heights that have not been needed in decades, but those preparations were only the first round of what is likely to be a summerlong battle against the bloated Missouri River. Peak flows are expected to arrive early in the week in riverfront communities in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska as the Army Corps of Engineers completes a gradual increase of releases from dams upstream.

FARGO, N.D. — Police escorted convoys of flatbed trucks carrying piles of sandbags into neighborhoods along Fargo’s Red River yesterday as residents worked to keep the looming flood waters out of their homes. The cities of Fargo in eastern North Dakota and neighboring Moorhead, Minn., are threatened by rising waters; the National Weather Service bumped up its flood crest forecast because of warm weather and rain. The Red River is expected to crest on Saturday about 20 feet above the flood stage, meaning the rising waters flowing over the river’s banks...

FARGO, N.D. — Volunteers shoveled heaps of sand and carefully maneuvered around humming machinery yesterday inside a warehouse dubbed Sandbag Central in Fargo, where officials hope to pile up 3 million sandbags as the eastern North Dakota city prepares for a third major flood in as many years. Efforts are starting early to prepare for flooding along the Red River in Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minn. The National Weather Service predicts that spring snow melt will help swell the river over its flood stage, possibly breaking the record set in 2009 when floods caused an...

PETALUMA, Calif. -- A powerful storm set off mudslides that blocked major highways and that sent rivers and creeks over their banks and into cities across Northern California yesterday. At least a half-dozen people were rescued from the rushing water, and forecasters were warning of another storm today. Officials in California urged residents along the Napa and Russian Rivers, and on hillsides, to collect their valuables, gather emergency supplies, and get out. In the city of Napa, near the heart of wine country, the river was 5 feet over flood stage.

ST. LOUIS - The Mississippi River climbed toward its high-water mark yesterday at St. Louis and was expected to crest over the next couple of days at points downriver, but the worst of the flood of 2008 appeared to be over. The National Weather Service said the river was leveling off at St. Louis at slightly less than 9 feet above flood stage, and was expected to stay there into today before slowly falling, barring more torrential rain to the north. The high water wasn't causing any major problems because low-lying areas are...

PATERSON, N.J. — Rain-swollen waterways in northern New Jersey were slowly receding yesterday after cresting overnight, causing fewer evacuations than expected but still flooding roadways around the region. Despite clear skies in the forecast, officials said flooding will remain a concern for at least the next few days, and it is not clear when all affected residents will be able to return to their homes. The Passaic River crested at 9 p.m. Saturday — earlier than expected — and has been receding ever since.

OMAHA — The scramble is nearly over to fill thousands of sandbags and construct last-minute levees to heights that have not been needed in decades, but those preparations were only the first round of what is likely to be a summerlong battle against the bloated Missouri River. Peak flows are expected to arrive early in the week in riverfront communities in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska as the Army Corps of Engineers completes a gradual increase of releases from dams upstream.

COLCHESTER, Vt. — Minnows swim in the driveway, and fat carp are now breeding in the 2-foot floodwaters that cover the street. Some days, the only way Buzz Hoerr can get out of his home is by rowboat, paddling 200 feet to a grassy spot across the street where he and others park their cars to keep them dry. The vessels are pulled up on driveways and lawns of the handful of houses that are still occupied — the ones with sandbags surrounding them,...

PATERSON, N.J. — Rain-swollen waterways in northern New Jersey were slowly receding yesterday after cresting overnight, causing fewer evacuations than expected but still flooding roadways around the region. Despite clear skies in the forecast, officials said flooding will remain a concern for at least the next few days, and it is not clear when all affected residents will be able to return to their homes. The Passaic River crested at 9 p.m. Saturday — earlier than expected — and has been receding ever since.

An adult and three children were rescued by boat in Newport, where rising flood waters from the Sugar River surrounded their home. The Newport fire department said the rescue yesterday took about an hour and no one was hurt. The river is among about half a dozen around the state that were expected to reach flood stage by last evening.

FARGO, N.D. — Volunteers shoveled heaps of sand and carefully maneuvered around humming machinery yesterday inside a warehouse dubbed Sandbag Central in Fargo, where officials hope to pile up 3 million sandbags as the eastern North Dakota city prepares for a third major flood in as many years. Efforts are starting early to prepare for flooding along the Red River in Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minn. The National Weather Service predicts that spring snow melt will help swell the river over its flood stage, possibly breaking the record set in 2009 when floods caused an...

WINDSOR, N.C. — Windsor is expected to remain underwater for several more days after drenching storms moved up the East Coast last week, officials said yesterday. The state Emergency Response Team said much of the flooded town in northeast North Carolina remained waterlogged. The downtown was evacuated along with more than 40 residents from a nursing home. With more than 200 businesses and homes damaged, Windsor, a town of about 2,300 on the banks of the Cashie River, is one of the places hit hardest in eastern North Carolina by torrential rains and floods from a...

OSAWATOMIE, Kan. -- Flooding worsened yesterday across parts of Kansas and Missouri, forcing more people from their homes, and meteorologists said it could be days before rivers return to normal after days of drenching rainfall on the Plains. The Kansas National Guard was sent to help with a mandatory evacuation of Osawatomie, a town of 4,600, as the overflowing Pottawatomie Creek inundated neighborhoods and workers struggled to reinforce a levee on the Marais des Cygnes River.

FARGO, N.D. — North Dakota and Minnesota residents who fought off record flooding a year ago in a frantic one-week sandbagging effort were jolted yesterday by the prospect of doing it again. The latest flood forecast from the National Weather Service shows the river rising to 38 feet in Fargo by week’s end before leveling off. That would be 20 feet above flood stage and about 3 feet below last year’s record. The crest had been expected later this month or early April. The cities of Fargo and neighboring Moorhead, Minn., have been filling sandbags for...

MONTICELLO, Iowa — Flooding from the Maquoketa River after the Lake Delhi dam failed has damaged dozens of homes and businesses, causing millions of dollars in damage in Monticello, officials said yesterday. The Lake Delhi dam in eastern Iowa failed Saturday as rising flood water from the Maquoketa River ate a 30-foot-wide hole in it. Areas below the dam, including in Hopkinton and Monticello, were evacuated. Officials estimated that 8,000 people were affected by the floods, but no injuries were reported.

RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas — Upstream communities began to assess the damage yesterday wrought by a Rio Grande that jumped its banks in the Texas city of Laredo, while people downriver marveled warily at a river that bore little resemblance to the lazy waterway that usually divides border cities. The Rio Grande continued rising in the city that bears its name to more than 3 feet above flood stage, the National Weather Service said. The river was expected to rise a least another 2 feet to more than 55 feet.