Changes to Flood Stages at Grindstone and West Enfield Coming May 21, 2024

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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Caribou ME
932 AM EDT Fri Apr 19 2024

To:        Subscribers:
           -Family of Services
           -NOAA Weather Wire Service
           -Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
           -Other NWS partners, users, and NWS employees

From:      Patrick Maloit
           Meteorologist in Charge
           Weather Forecast Office Caribou, ME

Subject:   Changes in River Forecast Services

Effective at 1200 Coordinated Universal Time on Tuesday May 21,
2024, the National Weather Service will be adjusting river flood
stages for the Penobscot River at West Enfield, Maine (WENM1) and
Grindstone, Maine(GRNM1). At Grindstone, on the East Branch of the
Penobscot River, in 2023, the gage was moved upstream a few
hundred yards with the same zero datum which resulted in the gage
being located in a different slope of the river bed. In
coordination with local emergency managers, after review of the
existing information for this gage, along with an extensive review
of the December 2023 flood, the flood stages have been re-
evaluated at Grindstone to reflect the new gage location. The NWS
location identifier for Grindstone is GRNM1.

The new flood categories will be as follows:

1. New flood stage is 14 feet above Gage Zero. The previous flood
stage was 13 feet above Gage Zero.

2. New moderate flood stage is 16 feet above Gage Zero. The
previous flood stage was 15 feet above Gage Zero.

3. New major flood stage is 17 feet above Gage Zero. The previous
flood stage was 16 feet above Gage Zero.

These new flood stages will be referenced in flood warnings, flood
statements, and flood advisories for the East Branch of the
Penobscot River.

In West Enfield, in coordination with local emergency managers,
review of the current flood stages, along with information from
the December 2023 flood event, flood inundation mapping and
historic flood accounts, has resulted in an adjustment to the
flood stages. The new flood stages will better reflect current
flood impacts. The NWS location identifier for West Enfield is
WENM1.

The new flood categories will be as follows:

4. New flood stage is 17 feet above Gage Zero. The previous flood stage
was 18 feet above Gage Zero.

5. New moderate flood stage is 20 feet above Gage Zero. The
previous flood stage was 22 feet above Gage Zero.

6. New major flood stage is 24 feet above Gage Zero. The previous
flood stage was 25 feet above Gage Zero. These new flood stages
will be referenced in flood warnings, flood statements, and flood
advisories for the Penobscot River.

For more information, please contact:

James Sinko
Hydrology Program Manager
NWS Weather Forecast Office
Caribou, ME 04736
(207) 492-0180
james.sinko@noaa.gov

Louise Fode
Warning Coordination Meteorologist
NWS Weather Forecast Office
Caribou, ME 04736
(207) 492-0180, x223
louise.fode@noaa.gov