Central Vermont hit by rain, prompting evacuations, rescues and road closures

Updated at 11:00 a.m.14

According to the National Weather Service, between 3 and 4 inches of rain flooded parts of central Vermont in three hours Wednesday night, inundating several municipalities in the area, including Barre City, Williamstown, Plainfield and Moretown.

The deluge is expected to flood the Winooski River from Montpelier to Waterbury overnight, covering local roads and fields, according to the weather service.

Farther east, in the town of Barnet in Caledonia County, the Stevens River burst its banks near the Barnet Village Store, likely destroying a bridge, according to New England 511. At least a dozen roads in the town were washed out, according to Barnet Fire and Rescue.

Barre Mayor Thom Lauzon declared a state of emergency in his city around 9:30 p.m. after authorities rescued about a dozen people from flooded homes and cars, he said. As water poured into the flood-prone city, Barre closed several downtown roads and urged people to stay away, if possible. The city was also preparing to issue a boil-water advisory, according to Barre City Manager Nicolas Storellicastro.

“The next three hours are going to be very critical for us. I wouldn’t say it’s going to be a repeat of 2023,” Lauzon said, referring to the devastating floods last July, “but it’s very serious.”

“I hate to say it, but at this point we are at the mercy of Mother Nature,” he said.

Robert Haynes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Burlington office, said some areas of central Vermont that are getting rain can handle only 1.5 inches an hour — and at times Wednesday night, they were getting twice that. After a brief respite, he said, those areas could expect another 10 or 10:30 p.m.

In addition to Barre, Williamstown also issued evacuations Wednesday night, according to Vermont Emergency Management spokesman Mark Bosma. And Haynes said residents of Moretown Village were asked to evacuate.

At least two shelters have been opened for people displaced by the flooding, Bosma said: at Barre Auditorium and Williamstown High School.

The weather service issued flood warnings Wednesday night for the Winooski River in Montpelier and Waterbury.

The river level is expected to reach 5.2 metres in the capital shortly after midnight, just before major flood stage. At 5.3 metres, the weather service said, water would cover the streets of downtown Montpelier. The river reached about 6.5 metres during last summer’s historic flood.

In Waterbury, the Winooski River is expected to reach 450 feet by 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the weather service. That’s enough to reach properties on Randall Street, Foundry Street and some parking lots at the Waterbury State Office Complex. “Significant flooding” will also occur from Waterbury to Richmond, the weather service said. The Winooski River reached 450 feet during last summer’s floods and 420 feet during Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

The Mad River at Moretown and the Lamoille River at Johnson were also expected to rise significantly.

K. Fiegenbaum, Habib Sabet and Sarah Mearhoff contributed reporting.

This story will be updated.