Central and southern Maine had yet another flash flood warning Tuesday from Belgrade to Arundel and Mechanic Falls to Brunswick, according to the National Weather Service.

The warning was in effect until 10 p.m. Tuesday night.

By 12:30 p.m., the Turner area had 4.47 inches of rain, said NWS forecaster Andy Pohl. An Auburn resident reported 5.38 inches of rain at about the same time, he said, though NWS could not confirm that.

“But that’s not out of the norm,” Pohl said. “So, about five inches depending on your area.”

NWS Forecaster Sarah Thunberg said around 2:10 p.m. the warning was changed to an areal flood warning. Areal flooding occurs gradually after heavy rainfall as accumulations drain to rivers and bodies of water.

Thunberg said the rain would taper off, accumulating about another inch before becoming scattered showers.

“The bulk of the rain should be over, but the reason we have the flood watch going in through 10 p.m. is it’s going to take a little bit of time for the water to actually get into the rivers,” said Thunberg. “So during those hours there could be some flood waters rising as it gets into the major rivers.”

Reggie Poussard of Lewiston Public Works said as of 2:19 p.m. there were 11 calls related to water or the weather. He said public works crews are regularly checking catch basins making sure they are clear of debris and have been continually cleaning them.

“As a reminder, public works asks homeowners to keep an eye out on catch basins on their property too and to make sure they are clear of debris,” Poussard said. “It is (also) important to maintain and test your sump pump before such weather to ensure that it does its job to prevent water damage.”

As he assessed the water situation Tuesday, Lewiston property owner George Greenwood said runoff has been a problem at his 210 College St. property ever since the city had the end of White Street repaved and landscaped.

“They reconstructed the street, pitched it, redid storm water and took out a number of good sized trees and replaced them with grass,” Greenwood said. “They were going to redo the curbing, but cut it out of the project due to costs … and now there’s a lip in the sidewalk that pushes runoff straight into my basement.”

George Greenwood pokes around Tuesday in a drain in front of his garage on the corner of White and College streets in Lewiston. Greenwood believes the recent construction done in the area, in which trees were removed and the roads and sidewalks were sloped, resulted in water being redirected into the basement and garage of his apartment building. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal

Greenwood said his basement has a drain that used to be dependable for the small amount of runoff he used to get, but since the city performed the roadwork, it is not draining at all. He also said the street used to sit a little lower than the top of his driveway which allowed most storm water to pass down White Street to storm drains.

“My biggest concern is that they knew the problem, saw the weather that was coming and didn’t set out sandbags or anything.”

Lewiston Public Works did not immediately respond to questions.

Lewiston City spokesperson Angelynne Amores said only North Lisbon Road, a side street near 1800 Lisbon St., is closed.

Auburn Public Works and city officials did not immediately respond to questions.

Thunberg said more rain is expected Thursday evening and Saturday into Sunday, but not to the amount experienced Tuesday.

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