A day after hitting its high level in more than a year, the Shawsheen River was expected to climb back into the “flood stage” by Wednesday evening.
The National Weather Service issued a food warning Wednesday afternoon, expecting the water level to rise throughout Wednesday afternoon and peak at 28.8 feet Wednesday evening and recede below flood level Thursday morning. The warning is in effect until Thursday afternoon.
The river rose more than six feet in a six-hour span during Tuesday morning’s rainstorm, cresting at 30.54 feet — nearly two feet higher than “flood stage.” The water level was taken at the Balmoral Street gauge in Ballardvale at 12:15 p.m., and was up from 24.28 feet at 6 a.m. Tuesday.
By comparison, the river flowed at 38 feet during the May 2006 floods in Andover. As of 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Shawsheen River was flowing at 28.3 feet.
More than six inches of rain were recorded at Lawrence Municipal Airport during between 6 a.m. and noon Tuesday, including more than 3.5 inches between 10 a.m. and noon. The storm caused widespread flooding and road closures n Andover.
And, yes, that is indeed a fish getting pulled out of flooding in the video below submitted by Andover News reader Nancy Martin.