FirstLight Power Statement on Heavy Rain in Western Connecticut and Housatonic River Flooding

New Milford, CT – FirstLight Power issued the following statement today in response to the flood situation along the Housatonic River in Western Connecticut: 

“Last night, parts of Western Connecticut received substantial amounts of rainfall, which has led to a flood situation along parts of the Housatonic River. The National Weather Service forecast, which FirstLight relies on to manage river flows and issue flood alerts to local emergency departments, called for 1.4 inches of rain in the Danbury area. However, parts of the Housatonic River valley received approximately 4 inches of rain overnight, increasing river flows, which were already substantially high due to recent precipitation. FirstLight notified local municipal officials at 1:02 a.m. ET when river flows reached alert status on the Housatonic, then issued a flood warning at 4:09 a.m. ET through FirstLight’s emergency alert system. Based on current forecasts, FirstLight anticipates river flows to subside over the weekend. However, we must note that these forecasts are based on U.S. Geological Service information that is subject to change.”

USGS forecasted river flows for Housatonic River at Gaylordsville (April 7-April 10, 2022)

Actual precipitation as recorded by USGS at the Tenmile River gauge near Gaylordsville, CT.

USGS River flows post-storm at 5:00 a.m. ET on April 8, 2022. Data does not include river flows downstream of Gaylordsville gauge, which are impacted by additional streams and rivers feeding into the Housatonic.