Alert archive / Connecticut / Flash Flood Warnings in 1989

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

October 20, 1989Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this flash flood warning at Oct 20, 1989, 5:45 PM EDT for Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut. It was in force for 4 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Oct 20, 1989, 5:45 PM EDT (21:45 UTC)
Expired: Oct 20, 1989, 10:00 PM EDT
In force: 4 hr
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Whole counties

Counties Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT, Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

Chatham, MA (KCHH), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 172 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -73 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 522 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 125 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 137 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KBDL 202145 RRA
FFWBDL
CTC011-015-210200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HARTFORD CT
545 PM EDT FRI OCT 20 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HARTFORD HAS ISSUED A
SMALL STREAM AND URBAN FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000
 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN  CONNECTICUT
          ...NEW LONDON...WINDHAM
 
A SMALL RIVER AND STREAM FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT THIS EVENING
UNTILL 10 PM. DURING THE PAST FEW HOURS HEAVY RAIN HAS MOVED INTO
EASTERN CONNECTICUT. SOME AREAS HAVE RECIEVED 1 TO 2 INCHES OF
RAINFALL TODAY AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OCCUR DURING THE
NEXT FEW HOURS. SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS ARE RISING AND ARE NEAR BANKFUL 
 
A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.  MOST FLASH FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING SnTREAM...EVEN A SMALL
ONE...ON FOOT.  TO ESCAPE RISING WATER MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Oct 20, 1:15 PM EDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT FOR RHODE ISLAND
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PROVIDENCE RI
112 PM EDT  FRI  OCT 20 1989

... A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR RHODE ISLAND FOR THE THE REST
    OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ...

GROUND ALREADY SATURATED FROM DAYS OF WET WEATHER CAN HOLD NO MORE
WATER.  MANY SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS IN RHODE ISLAND ARE RUNNING
AT OR NEAR BANK FULL.  HEAVY RAIN TO OUR WEST WILL BE MOVING INTO THE
STATE THE REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...CAUSING THE POTENTIAL
OF FLASH FLOODING FOR THE OCEAN STATE.

PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE ARE AREAS NEAR STORM DRAINS THAT HAVE BECOME
BLOCKED BY FALLEN LEAVES.  IF POSSIBLE...THESE DRAINS SHOULD BE
CLEANED OUT TO RELIEVE THIS SITUATION.

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT FLOODING IS POSSIBLE.  RHODE ISLANDERS
WHO LIVE ALONG THE BANKS OF SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS OR OTHER LOW
LYING SECTIONS OF THE STATE SHOULD BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER
GROUND ON SHORT NOTICE IF FLOODING PIS OBSERVED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED.
STAY INFORMED OF THE LATEST FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS.  FURTHER
STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS CONDITIONS DEVELOP.

CARBONE

The office that day

Everything else NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Oct 20, 4:15 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Capitol Planning Region	6 hr
Oct 20, 4:15 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Northwest Hills Planning Region	6 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Connecticut, 1989 Every flash flood warning in 1989

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.