Flood Details - 2002-11-17 - 2002-11-18

Heavy snow followed by rain in parts of southern New Brunswick kept public works crews busy on November 17th and 18th. In Saint John, the rain, combined with fallen leaves that plugged storm sewers, gave way to eight flooded basements on the East and West sides of the city on the 18th, along with a few on the 17th in the Loch Lomond Road, Ketepec and Red Head areas. The North End Police Station had some water in its basement but a spokesperson for the Saint John Police Force said there was no damage to the locker room and kitchen that were housed there. A utilities supervisor with the City of Moncton said they received 20 calls about street flooding on the evening of the 17th. Two crews spent the night clearing drainage basins blocked by wet snow and slush that led to an accumulation of water in the streets. The city also received around five calls for assistance with basement flooding, caused by melting snow and ice around basement windows. City crews in Riverview responded to 12 calls of basement flooding. At the peak of the storm over 1,500 NB Power customers were without power. The storm closed many schools across the northern half of the province due to heavy snowfall. Twenty-three centimeters fell in Bathurst, along with 32 centimeters in Saint-Léonard and 42 centimeters in Charlo.

Environment Canada precipitation totals for November 17th and 18th: Alma: 75.4 mm Saint John: 66.7 mm Sussex: 66.2 mm Moncton: 66 mm Point Lepreau: 60.5 mm

Apart from flooded basements in the Moncton and Saint John areas, no major damages were reported.