St. John River at Fort Kent, ME
River level and flood forecast · Aroostook County
The river is 19.1 ft below flood stage (22.5 ft).
Forecast to hold near 3.4 ft through Thu, Oct 15, 8 AM.
Flow: 942 cubic feet per second (USGS).
Much lower than normal for October 13.
Usual for October 13: 2,520 to 8,800 cubic feet per second (the middle half of 100 years).
The last 7 days and the forecast
NWS forecast issued Mon, Oct 12, 11:14 AM. Forecasts change as rain falls and as upstream water arrives.
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An email when the National Weather Service forecasts St. John River at Fort Kent to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 26.5 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 24.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 22.5 ft |
| Action stage | 18 ft |
| Record crest (April 30, 2008) | 30.07 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 29.7 ftDike along the Saint John River is overtopped, flooding downtown Fort Kent from Pearl Street to Blockhouse Road to Elm Street. Significant flooding of Residential and Commercial Structures between the Fish River to Market Street along East Main Street.
- 28.5 ftDufour Street is completely impassable flooding the Fort Kent Fire Department. East Main Street is impassable west of Market Street to Aroostook Road. Backwater issues on the Fish River and Perley Brook will threaten structures along Route 161 near Perley Brook.
- 27.5 ftNear record flooding. Dike and levee system at full capacity. Flooding of lower east Main Street inundating several structures in the center of town. Fish River Flooding combined with Backwater causes water to flow over the Fish River bridge. Residential structures off Baker Street begin to flood. Athletic fields of the University Campus underwater.
- 26.5 ftWidespread flooding of lower East Main Street inundating several structures in the center of town. Water flowing over the top of the Fish River bridge.
- 25.5 ftFish River nears the top of the Main Street Fish River bridge, bridge closed. Homes threatened on Meadow Lane, Blockhouse Road, Dufour Street and Church Street.
- 24.5 ftFish River Backwater begins to flood parking lots to businesses & residences between East Main Street and the Fish River. Flooding in low lying areas along State Route 161 upstream of Fort Kent.
- 22.5 ftLumber Yard near Fort Kent State Historic Site floods. Flood waters encroach on the State Historic Site.
- 20 ftLowland flooding between East Main Street, Market Street and the University Campus.
- 18 ftWater begins to get into the basements of some houses and structures upstream along the Fish River.
- 16 ftWater inundates agricultural lands between Fort Kent and Upper Frenchville along Route 1.
Highest crests on record
- 30.07 ft — April 30, 2008
- 27.31 ft — April 30, 1979
- 26.95 ft — May 1, 1974
- 26.6 ft — April 17, 1994
- 26.33 ft — April 19, 1983
Recent crests: 19.68 ft (April 20, 2026) · 17.15 ft (April 15, 2024) · 15.56 ft (December 20, 2023) · 19.61 ft (April 19, 2023) · 17.99 ft (April 17, 2022)
Highest flow on record
183,000 cubic feet per second — April 30, 2008. From the USGS's yearly peaks since 1927.
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (FTKM1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.