After the wind died down, there was a new threat to watch for in the Merrimack Valley — flooding.
Almost 3 inches of rain fell with Thursday's storm in the Merrimack Valley, forcing the Spicket River in Methuen and Lawrence and the Shawsheen in Andover to top their crests, at 8.5 feet and 34 feet, respectively.
The Merrimack River was expected to hit a height of 15 feet in Haverhill between 9 a.m. and noon today, according to the National Weather Service. In Lowell, the river was expected to crest by noon at 51.6 feet.
The Valley and Southern New Hampshire would have been buried in snow this week had the temperatures dipped below freezing, according to weather officials.
"Had it been cold enough for snow, you would have received between six and eight inches per every inch of rainfall," said meteorologist Rebecca Gould at the Weather Service Bureau in Taunton.
"You would have received well over a foot had it snowed," she said, referring to Thursday's torrential rains.
Based on her calculations, the 5 inches of rainfall could have dumped up 40 inches of snow over the week — more than 3 feet of wet, slushy snow.
And the storm still has a few more punches to throw.
Rain and occasional snow flurries are forecast for today and tomorrow, but may not amount to more than an inch of snow. High temperatures should reach 38 degrees today, with a low of around 30 tonight. Tomorrow, a high of 45 degrees is expected during the day with a low of around 29 at night.
On Monday, an ocean storm could mean more snow for the region.
Area communities were bracing themselves for potential flooding yesterday in the aftermath of Thursday's storm.
In Methuen, a park bench behind the Espaillat Mills was already partially submerged by the Spicket River when Mayor William Manzi called city Emergency Management Director John Santoro on his cell phone yesterday morning.
"How are we with sandbags?" asked Manzi. "What did we use the last time? Did we use 2,000?"
The last time Manzi was referring to was the 2006 flood that submerged the entire back parking lot of the business complex, located at 225 Broadway just a short distance from the heart of downtown.
City officials expected flood water to rise an additional foot yesterday before cresting overnight. Manzi said Methuen would be taking no chances.
"We want to be ready and work with emergency management to make sure we get all the aid and assistance we can," he said.
Manzi toured flooding trouble spots in the city, including sections of Lowell Street on Route 110, where Jackson's Restaurant was left without power and remained closed for breakfast and lunch.
"I've seen that river cross this road," said Gary Dubois, whose family owns the restaurant, as he pointed across Lowell Street. "It's just the inconvenience of the electricity."
Both Manzi and Lawrence Public Works Director Frank McCann were watching the weather closely yesterday, as additional rain was sure to increase the chances of flooding and, in turn, street closures and home evacuations.
McCann said snow would only provide short-term relief to local flooding concerns.
He said the first indication of flooding along the Spicket River in Lawrence shows up along Irving Avenue and Myrtle Street. Along the Shawsheen, water typically rises up first behind the Holiday Inn Express at the intersection of Route 114 and Interstate 495.
"We haven't seen any of that yet," McCann said yesterday afternoon.
There were also many homes throughout the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire where flooding was caused by factors other than rivers.
Londonderry resident Bobby Fosmire said he had no idea his Brookview Drive home was in danger of flooding until he saw a tree down on Mammoth Road just before 3 a.m. on his way to work. He turned back, went out onto his deck and saw the water approaching the foundation of his home.
"By the time I came back, it had moved up another three feet," he said, so he put his high-definition TV up on milk crates to keep it safe.
By 10 a.m. yesterday, he had several feet of water in the backyard and it was seeping into the basement. Fosmire said his home of 12 years is prone to flooding and because of it he pays $1,300 a year for flood insurance, which has covered at least $50,000 in damages in just the last few years. His property flooded during the storm on Mother's Day 2006 and again in the spring of 2007.
Fosmire's neighbors on Brookview were also flooded yesterday. At the cul-de-sac of the dead-end street, four homes were completely underwater.
One family had a small boat, but needed the Fire Department's help to get out of their house.
Carmen Zaborotny said the storm was the least treacherous of the ones she's experienced since moving to the neighborhood seven years ago. This time, her basement only flooded with 5 to 6 inches of water.
On Thursday night, Zaborotny's husband moved the cars down the street, but she still didn't realize her home would flood when they lost power around 10 p.m.
"I woke up at 4 a.m. and heard my husband dragging stuff up the stairs," she said while looking at a sea of water in her front yard. The water seeped in under the garage door. Early yesterday, they put sand bags around the door, but it didn't do much good.
Across the street, David Boynton was wearing waders to walk down the road a couple of hundred yards to save his mother-in-law's cat, Jasmine. The home had 4 feet of water in it.
"We've got a bunch of waterproof containers, so we're going to go in and move them off the ground," Boynton said.
Boynton, a member of the National Guard, said he's helped plenty of flood victims, but has never helped his own family during one.
He said he was surprised to see flooding so early in the season since the storms of 2006 and 2007 came later in the year.
"Usually it comes later in the spring," he said.
