Swift River at Roxbury, ME
River level and flood forecast · Oxford County
The river is 7.0 ft below flood stage (8 ft).
Forecast to rise to 2.2 ft Wed 2 AM, below the 8 ft flood stage.
Flow: 15 cubic feet per second (USGS).
Much lower than normal for October 13.
Usual for October 13: 30 to 134 cubic feet per second (the middle half of 98 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.
Get flood alerts for this river
An email when the National Weather Service forecasts Swift River at Roxbury to flood, when it floods, and when it's over.
Flood stages
| Major flood stage | 12 ft |
| Moderate flood stage | 9.5 ft |
| Flood stage | 8 ft |
| Action stage | 5 ft |
| Record crest (December 18, 2023) | 14.2 ft |
What floods at each level
From the National Weather Service, highest first.
- 14 ftFlooding comparable to record levels observed in December 2023. Severe flooding at the confluence with the Androscoggin River in Rumford and Mexico where homes and businesses are impacted. Roadways will remain unsafe during and after the storm.
- 12.5 ftApproaching levels seen during the April 1987 flood. Route 17 likely washed out in multiple areas making travel extremely dangerous.
- 12 ftMajor flooding occurs. Water surrounds homes in Byron and Roxbury. Travel in and out of the region is cut off.
- 10 ftModerate flooding occurs. Properties near Houghton Road in northern parts of Byron surrounded by flood waters. Further downstream in Rumford and Mexico flooding from the Swift River can occur if the Androscoggin River is also in flood including several parks and river access areas.
- 9.5 ftModerate flooding occurs. Closure of Route 17 likely from flood waters, significantly impacting travel in and out of the area. Numerous locations on Route 17 likely to flood due to a combination of high water on the Swift River and backwater from smaller tributaries along Easter Hill Road in Roxbury and along what is known as the Byron Flats.
- 9 ftFlood waters inundate Route 17 a few miles north of Byron Village Road.
- 8 ftMinor flooding occurs. River encroaches on Route 17 and some properties along the Swift River in and around Byron. 7 Swift River comes out of banks and inundates lowlands in Roxbury and Byron.
- 7 ftRiver at bankfull with minor flooding of agricultural fields possible between Farmington Falls and New Sharon.
Highest crests on record
- 14.2 ft — December 18, 2023
- 12.87 ft — October 24, 1959
- 12.58 ft — September 17, 1932
- 12.54 ft — April 1, 1987
- 12.42 ft — June 15, 1942
Recent crests: 9.14 ft (July 11, 2024) · 9.08 ft (April 12, 2024) · 14.2 ft (December 18, 2023) · 8.32 ft (June 26, 2023) · 10.8 ft (May 1, 2023)
Highest flow on record
24,000 cubic feet per second — December 18, 2023. From the USGS's yearly peaks since 1930.
Up and down the river, and nearby
Not an official source. River levels, forecasts, flood stages and impacts are from the National Weather Service (ROXM1); flow from the U.S. Geological Survey. Readings are provisional. In a flood, follow your local officials and the NWS at weather.gov.