The Connecticut River has jumped its banks in areas following recent storms.
It’s only considered minor or moderate flooding. But it’s creating a big draw for folks to come and check out the sight.
“I haven’t seen this in at least probably a decade. It’s very high,” Carolyn Kornblee, of Rocky Hill, said.
Kornblee was among those who just had to check out flooding at the ferry landing in Rocky Hill.
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“Normally in the spring we have the floods every year. They haven’t been as bad in the last few years like when my daughter was young,” Kornblee said.
The Connecticut River is swollen following back-to-back storms that drenched the state. All that water – along with snow melt further north – is leading to the incredible sight.
“It’s the worst I’ve seen it and I thought July was bad and it’s higher than that so far,” Justin Zepperi, of Rocky Hill, said.
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Zepperi used a drone to capture striking images that he later shared online.
“All the docks that they store down there that are floating in the road area and now in the parking lot, too,” Zepperi said.
The inundation of the Portland Fairgrounds left trees and buildings totally surrounded.
In the Hartford area, we haven’t seen the Connecticut River this high since Irene, back in 2011.
Right now, it’s at about 21.7 feet - more than five feet above flood stage. In Cromwell, part of River Road was covered and there was a submerged Harbor Park in Middletown.
“We were like, ‘Oh my goodness. It’s crazy. It’s flooded,’” Melissa Tapp, of Cromwell, said.
Families found detours for their usual walks and hope preparations at the pavilion hold up.
“Just thinking about the Canoe Club and thinking how much is being set back now with all of that water damage,” Ryan Tapp, of Cromwell, said.
“We remember eating there though, not too long ago, right after COVID. It’s kind of sad to see it all flooded,” Melissa Tapp said.
And the good news is in this area, the river is cresting and expected to start going back down over the coming days.
