Vermont Flood Map Shows Areas With Catastrophic Impact Expected

The latest maps by the National Weather Service (NWS) show the areas of Vermont expected to be hardest hit by "catastrophic" flooding that has devastated parts of the state since Monday.

As of 9:45 a.m. ET on Tuesday, a flood warning—indicating "major flooding is occurring and major flooding is forecast"—was in place for parts of Burlington, Newport, the state capital Montpelier, Middlebury and Springfield, among other cities and rural areas across the state, after heavy rains fell on Monday.

It warned on Monday night of the "serious situation" developing across the central areas of Vermont.

Earlier that day, it had said it expected rainfall "capable of producing considerable to catastrophic flooding," with local amounts in excess of seven inches. Rescue efforts were underway.

Ahead of the storm, on Sunday, Vermont Governor Phil Scott declared a state of emergency, which was approved by President Joe Biden on Tuesday morning while in Vilnius, Lithuania, for a NATO summit.

The map also shows that a vast swathe of the rest of the state remains under a flood watch, which warns that flooding may be possible in areas with rivers or creeks. The NWS said this was likely in a portion of southern Vermont, and would likely last till 2 p.m.

Another map produced by the NWS at 6:15 a.m. ET on Tuesday shows the scale and distribution of the rainfall from the "long duration" storm that hit the state.

The areas to see the highest amounts of rain were in the central and southern regions, where as much as 7.8 inches and 9 inches fell in respective parts. The rest of Vermont still saw high levels of rainfall, with between 1.6 inches and 5.5 inches.

Scott said on Twitter Monday that the flooding had already surpassed what the state had experienced during the 2011 tropical storm Irene.

Meteorologist Craig Ceecee wrote on Twitter that the Winooski River had already reached near its levels during Irene, with forecasts suggesting Montpelier's downtown would be left under a "devastating" 4-7 feet of water.

Bill Fraser, town manager for Montpelier, estimated that as of Monday night, floodwaters in the state capital had reached knee level, but that they were expected to rise a few more feet overnight.

"We are completely inundated," Fraser told the Associated Press. "The water is way, way higher than it ever got during [Storm] Irene."

Images from the city's police force show floodwaters reaching up to shop doorsteps, and the city closed its downtown district—the area worst hit—until noon on Tuesday.

Newsweek approached the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is leading the rescue effort, via email for comment on Tuesday.