Bibliography bangor daily news 1987 the flood of 87

Pdf File 511.84 KByte,

composing the forecasts was available and correct at forecast

time.

The most significant variable is rainfall (amount, intensity,

and distribution) . A better scheme is needed for estimating

local potential rainfall amount and distribution in a given

meteorological situation. The elevated topography ofthe cen-

tral Kennebec River basin may have partly contributed to

the 50 to 100% increase in the rainfall amount over that which

fell over the coastal plain. Perhaps in most any meteorolog-

ical situation with moderate to strong upslope southeasterly

surface winds, the precipitation amount over the slightly

elevated terrain is some percentage higher. That value could

then be used to enhance the quantitative precipitation fore-

cast.

.

The precipitation network appears adequate, but all reports

need to be received in real time at set intervals. A more

complete and timely determination of the snow cover and its

water equivalent would be beneficial. From a more complete

rainfall and snowmelt estimate, a better runoff determination

can be made for the hydrologic model.

In regards to the river gage network on the Kennebec ,

more real-time observations of river heights or flows avail-

able to the NWS are needed . This is especially true for the

major tributaries; the Dead , the Carrabassetts, the Sandy,

and the Sebasticook. These river gage sites should then become

prediction points as well. The April Fools flood of 1987 has

left legacy. Hopefully, tools for forecasting another flood on

the Kennebec or other rivers in the state will be improved

for the next occurrence.

Volume 13 Number 4

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to Gerry French, National Weather Service, Portland and to Bob Thair, Central Maine Power, Augusta for their assistance.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bangor Daily News , 1987: The Flood of '87. Supplement, April 14, Bangor, ME.

Chaston, P., Berkowitz , D., Barrett, c. , 1985: Fundamentals of

Hydrology. National Weather Service Training Center, Kansas City, MO.

Fontaine, R .A., 1987: Flood ofApril 1987 in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire". U.S. Geological Survey, Open-File Report 87-460, Augusta, ME.

Kennebec Joul'l1al , 1987: The Flood. Supplement , April 4, Augusta, ME.

Maine Sunday Telegram , 1987: The Flood of '87. Supplement, April 12, Portland, ME.

National Weather Service, 1987: Datafiles. Portland, ME.

National Weather Service , 1987: Kennebec River Peak Annual Hourly Flows 1936-1986 for Skowhegan, Maine. Portland, ME.

New England River Basins Commission, 1979: Kennebec River Basin Overview. December, Boston, MA.

U.S . Army Corps of Engineers , New England Division , 1987: Hydrology ofFloods-Kennebec River Basin-Maine Phase II. November, Waltham , MA.

Folklore

"RED SKIES AT NIGHT, SAI LORS DELI GHT" by Sue Mroz

We are all familiar with the old weatherlore saying, "Red Skies at Night Sailors Delight." But did you know that it may be familiar because its origins can be traced to ancient Greece? That's right! This lore , which is generally true, is credited to the ancient Greek Democritus , a student of Aristotle. As we view the sky at sunset , the longer wave lengths

are scattered, producing a pinkish-red hue which is reflected by dust particles and scattered clouds. The fair weather to the west is likely to be with us the next day.

Note: We congratulate Ms . Mroz on her recent graduation from Northern Illinois University with a B.S. in Meteorology.

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