Alert archive / Vermont / Flash Flood Warnings in 1990

Flash Flood Warning 31, NWS Burlington, VT

July 4, 1990Washington County, Vermont

NWS Burlington, VT issued this flash flood warning at Jul 4, 1990, 8:07 PM EDT for Washington County, Vermont. It was in force for 3 hr.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 4, 1990, 8:07 PM EDT (00:07 UTC)
Expired
Jul 4, 1990, 11:15 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Burlington, VT
Area
Whole counties

County Washington County, VT

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

Gray, ME (KGYX), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 193 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Gray, ME at 00:00Z on 1990-07-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Gray, ME at 00:00Z on 1990-07-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 178 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
3622 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
41 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
178 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
205 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 KBTV 050010
FFWBTV
VTC023-050315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
807 PM EDT WED JUL 4 1990
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON VT HAS ISSUED A
FLOOD WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION......
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL VERMONT
 
   ...NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY
 
SKYWARN SPOTTER REPORTS RECEIVED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
INDICATE THAT FLOODING IS STILL OCCURRING IN AND AROUND THE WORCESTER
AREA. RIVERS AND STREAMS WILL CONTINUE TO RUN HIGH FOR A FEW HOURS DUE
TO THE VERY HEAVY RAINS OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. NUMEROUS ROADS
HAVE BEEN WASHED OUT...INCLUDING ROUTE 12 NORTH OF THE WORCESTER
BRIDGE.
 
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED AWAY FROM THE COUNTY AS OF 800
PM...BUT MORE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY THIS EVENING...
FURTHER ADDING TO THE FLOODING PROBLEMS.
 
MOST DEATHS IN FLASH FLOODING OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO CROSS BRIDGES...DIPS...OR LOW SPOTS IF WATER COVERS
THE ROADWAY.  NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING STREAM...EVEN A
SMALL ONE...ON FOOT.

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, Jul 4, 2:49 PM EDT, 5 hours 18 minutes before
NYC019-VTC001-005-007-009-011-013-015-017-019-021-023-027-042045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
248 PM EDT WED JUL 4 1990

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF VERMONT AND
NORTHERN NEW YORK UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING.

AT 245 PM...THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WERE NEAR
ELLENBURG DEPOT NEW YORK...JUST SOUTH OF ST. ALBANS AND NORTH OF
UNDERHILL IN CHITTENDEN COUNTY.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE PART OF A LARGER AREA OF SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS THAT COVERED MUCH OF NORTHERN NEW YORK...NORTHERN
VERMONT AND SOUTHERN QUEBEC. THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE NORTH
OF A LINE FROM RAY BROOK NEW YORK TO BURLINGTON TO MONTPELIER.

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MILES AN
HOUR. IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THUNDERSTORMS THAT
MAY PASS THROUGH YOUR AREA. BE READY TO SEEK SHELTER SINCE THE STORMS
MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL...STRONG GUSTY WXINDS AND SMALL HAIL.

KEEP TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR COMMERCIAL RADIO AND TELEVISION
FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED BY 500 PM.

END...AS
Special weather statement, Jul 4, 4:09 PM EDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before
VTZ001-002-003-NYZ011-042115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BURLINGTON VT
408 PM EDT WED JUL 4 1990

...THUNDERSTORMS WERE CONTINUING TO MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN NEW YORK AND
VERMONT...

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR CLINTON COUNTY NEW
YORK AND ALL OF VERMONT EXCEPT BENNINGTON AND WINDHAM COUNTIES UNTIL
1000 PM...

AT 400 PM...RADAR SHOWED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR MASSENA
NEW YORK TO NEAR PLATTSBURGH...AND EAST INTO MUCH OF NORTHERN VERMONT
AND NORTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE.  IN VERMONT...THE HEAVIEST RAIN WAS
FALLING NEAR BURLINGTON...BRADFORD IN ORANGE COUNTY...AND FROM
PLATTSBURGH TO UNDERHILL VERMONT.

THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 40 MPH.  IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF
ANY OF THESE STORMS...BE PREPARED FOR VERY HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS AND
FREQUENT LIGHTNING...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL.  TAKE SHELTER UNTIL
THE STORMS PASS.

REYNOLDS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Burlington, VT issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 4, 9:07 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningBTVChittenden, Franklin4 hr
Jul 4, 9:32 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningBTVLamoille4 hr
Jul 4, 10:58 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningBTVWashington3 hr
Jul 4, 11:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBTVOrange, Washington65 min
Jul 5, 1:29 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBTVBennington, Windham61 min
Jul 5, 2:24 AM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBTVCaledonia, Washington66 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Vermont, 1990Every flash flood warning in 1990

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.