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This year's St. John River flood fell short of 1973 levels, but exceeded the historical flood in duration.

GLEANER/STEPHEN MACGILLIVRAY PHO

lots of WORK AHEAD: Now that the water is receding in Maugerville, the clean up will begin. John Craft drives his four wheeler down Church Road and looks at a neighbour’s building that washed up on the road earlier this week.

Environment Canada meteorologist Claude Cote said flood-level waters in this year's freshet lasted 16 consecutive days from April 22 to May 7. The river was above flood levels for 12 days in 1973.

This year, the highest level at 8.36 metres reached May 2 was 25 centimetres shy of the 1973 peak of 8.61 reached April 30 that year.

He said this year's flood was triggered by a heavy downpour of rain in the northern parts of the province. Some 100 millimetres of rain (4 inches) fell in the Madawaska area and northern Maine on April 29.

There was also heavy snowfall over the winter that melted and moved into the water system.

"The worst is over," Cote said Thursday. "The river level continues to exceed flood level of 6.5 metres - and except for a one-hour period Wednesday night when the river level dropped to 6.49 metres - the record duration would continue."

Cote said he expects the river level measured at 6.51 Wednesday afternoon to increase by 20 centimetres, raising the river to 6.7 metres by Saturday. It will begin to recede Sunday.

"The water is receding but very slowly," Cote said, adding sunny weather predicted for the weekend will help the situation.