Flood of May 2006 in New Hampshire

From May 13-17, 2006, central and southern New Hampshire experienced severe flooding caused by as much as 14 inches of rainfall in the region. As a result of the flood damage, a presidential disaster declaration was made on May 25, 2006, for seven counties-Rockingham, Hillsborough, Strafford, Merrimack, Belknap, Carroll, and Grafton. Following the flooding, the U.S. Geological Survey, in a cooperative investigation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, determined the peak stages, peak discharges, and recurrence-interval estimates of the May 2006 flood at 65 streamgages in the counties where the disaster declaration was made. Data from flood-insurance studies published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency also were compiled for each streamgage location for comparison purposes.

The peak discharges during the May 2006 flood were the largest ever recorded at 14 long-term (more than 10 years of record) streamgages in New Hampshire. In addition, peak discharges equaled or exceeded a 100-year recurrence interval at 14 streamgages and equaled or exceeded a 50-year recurrence interval at 22 streamgages. The most severe flooding occurred in Rockingham, Strafford, Merrimack, and eastern and northern Hillsborough Counties.