After Multiple Summers of Flash Flooding, Vermont Continues to Recover, Prepare

"The Wrightsville dam is approaching capacity and may need to be released to avoid a failure. This would cause even worse flooding in Montpelier. The city is just about cutoff, so evacuation options are very limited for anyone still in the city. Officials told anyone in the city that their best bet at this point would be to head to the highest level of your home or building."

The above paragraph is how we concluded our initial article detailing the devastating floods that tore through Vermont in July of 2023. From July 9th to the 11th of that year, a widespread 4-9 inches of rain fell across the spine of the Green Mountains. As the worst of the rains were beginning to subside on July 11th, Mike Cannon of Vermont Urban Search & Rescue stated that well over 100 rescues had been performed across the state, along with around 80 road closures around Vermont. A disaster was declared immediately with a major disaster declaration from FEMA coming just three days after the floods.

The Wrightsville Dam in Montpelier came precariously close to reaching capacity on the morning of July 11th, coming within three feet of needing to be discharged, which would have caused a very dangerous situation for the city. The Winooski River in Montpelier rose to its second highest level on record, with only the Great Flood of 1927 seeing a higher level. The river rose two feet above Irene's level in 2011. The Lamoille River rose four feet above Irene's level, breaking the all-time record in Jeffersonville.

Total damages from the Great Flood of 2023 topped $600 million, destroyed dozens of homes and businesses and damaged hundreds more. The first ever flash flood emergency in Vermont's history (this alert debuted in 2014) was issued for Weston, Ludlow, Andover and Bridgewater. Ludlow and Montpelier proved to be among the hardest hit communities in the state.

Montpelier flooding in July 2023. Photo by Brandon Clement

As the one year anniversary of this devastating flood approached, Vermont was forced to shift from remembering to preparing. On July 10th, 2024, the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl merged with a northern stream trough and moved west of New England. This lifted a warm front into New England and set up a corridor of heavy downpours across northern Vermont.

While the "anniversary floods" weren't as widespread and likely weren't as costly as July 2023, to those hit the hardest, it proved to be a major setback. Some of the hardest hit communities in 2024 were the towns of Plainfield and Lyndon. The Passumpsic River was one of several that rose to major flood stage. The river spilled onto Route 5, which is the main artery through the communities.

Plainfield's main artery, US Route 2, was shut down by intense flooding. This route borders the Winooski River, another of the rivers that reached major flood stage. Plainfield was the site of some of the worst structural damage seen during this flood. An apartment complex partially collapsed. All residents of the building were successfully evacuated.

Partial building collapse in Plainfield in July 2024. Photo by WPTZ

Four homes as well as several cars and bridges were washed away within the town as well. Plainfield was also hit hard in July 2023, but some residents say 2024's flood was worse. One resident said directly “This is worse than last year. I mean, our little town has gotten hit substantially hard.” Many residents were still working on repairs from 2023 when this flood struck.

Another city hit hard by both the 2023 and 2024 floods was Barre. Once the flooding subsided in 2024, the city was caked in mud once again, with residents forced to dig out. In the immediate aftermath, the hum of heavy machinery hauling away tons of mud was among the most prominent sounds throughout the city. “It’s terrible, like deja vu from last year basically” said one resident.

Another town hit hard by both 2023 and 2024 was Moretown, on the Mad River. The Mad River crested right on the border between moderate and major flood stage. Hundreds of residents were stranded in their homes. In the middle of the night, a siren rang out, signaling residents to evacuate. The town was the site of some of the 100+ swift water rescues that occurred throughout Vermont.

Damaged road in Moretown. Photo by Kyle Ambusk/Vermont Public

Moretown wasn’t a town known for perpetual flooding like some other communities in Vermont, but in the last two years, three major floods have struck. After being hit hard by the July 2023 floods, Moretown was one of the few towns in Vermont that required evacuations during the December 2023 cyclone when the Mad River struck major flood stage again.

Just a few weeks after the anniversary floods, an unexpected significant flood unfolded once again in the Northeast Kingdom. A cutoff low pressure system made its way north through New England on July 29th and 30th. This combined with a very moisture-rich atmosphere and the slow moving nature of the system led to intense showers and storms surviving well into the overnight hours. Storm training, when multiple storms move over the same area, set up across northeast Vermont.

This led to upwards of eight inches of rain falling in the span of less than six hours. In addition, some areas of the Northeast Kingdom saw an estimated 3-5 inches of rain in just 3-4 hours. This intense rainfall occurred in a compact area with several communities getting hit the hardest. A flash flood emergency was issued for Morgan Center, St. Johnsbury and Danville. Communities surrounding these ones were also hit hard.

Lyndonville, which was one of the hardest hit towns in the severe flooding event that took place just a few weeks prior, saw major damage once again. Several homes were destroyed near Calendar Brook and Red Village Road. Swift water rescues and evacuations occurred in Lyndonville and nearby communities.

Damage in Lyndonville on July 30th, 2024. Photo by Lyndon Rescue

Vermont Emergency Management reported 10 swift water rescue teams performed about two dozen rescues in the Northeast Kingdom. The Passumpsic River saw an over 1,000% increase in flow in just six hours. The river crested in moderate flood stage and is now receding. Propane tanks and other debris were seen floating through the river.

And now, just yesterday, severe thunderstorms very slowly rolled through portions of Vermont, bringing a new round of flooding, damage and clean-up. This marks the third year in a row impactful flooding has struck Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Sutton, Lyndonville, Burke and East Haven took the brunt of this thunderstorm. Calendar Brook Road was once again the epicenter. Homes were torn from foundations, cars were tipped over, trees uprooted and bridges washed away as swift water rescue teams performed rescues.

After all these events, Vermont continues to recover from the floods while doing the best to prepare for inevitable future ones. In some areas, this preparation has been a slow process. Around 250 homeowners have applied for buyouts from floodplains, but only a small handful have so far been approved. In Plainfield, one resident remarked that half her neighbors have left since the 2024 floods with dozens others in the town among those waiting on buyouts.

The town of Plainfield has seen upwards of $20 million in flood related damages. The town has an annual budget of just over $1 million. Temporary bridges, empty homes and piles of debris remain in place across the community. The town has been contemplating expanding the downtown area to higher ground. The plain is known as the East Village Expansion.

Flooding in the Sutton area on July 10th, 2025. Photo by Anna Cronin

Moretown is another town that is being forced to address future flooding concerns. One resident in the town has embarked on a project using hydraulic jacks to lift the home and utilities above the floodplain. The town has seen nearly $10 million in damages, another number that far exceeds the community's annual budget. The town has received over $1 million from FEMA, but remains in a "waiting game". Small towns are said to lack the staff needed to complete paperwork in a timely manner.

Among the hundreds seeking a buyout from the state is the owner of Sterling Market in Johnson. The Sterling Market, Johnson's only grocery store, was destroyed during the 2023 flood and was never able to reopen. The building had flooded multiple times in the years leading up to 2023, but the Great Flood was the final nail in the coffin. Last year, there were talks of the grocery chain "Shaw's" opening a new store in the town, but the company has since pulled out. The building is set to be torn down with the area converted into green space.

Johnson Town Administrator Thomas Galinat recently stated: “I think we need to rewrite the narrative, that we are not losing a store, but a downtown with more protection against future flooding. Johnson being in the position between the Gihon and the Lamoille is in a tough spot to begin with. It is not about what we lost, it’s about where we are going forward and what’s left.”

After the third year in a row of impactful flooding on July 10th with other major floods sandwiched in between, Vermont continues to recover and prepare. For portions of the Northeast Kingdom, the recovery work is beginning from stage one all over again in July 2025.