Alert archive / Maine / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 40, NWS Gray, ME

July 1, 1998Somerset County, Maine

NWS Gray, ME issued this flash flood warning at Jul 1, 1998, 4:09 PM EDT for Somerset County, Maine. It was in force for 4 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 1, 1998, 4:09 PM EDT (20:09 UTC)
Expired
Jul 1, 1998, 8:05 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Gray, ME
Area
Whole counties

County Somerset County, ME

The nearest sounding before it

Gray, ME (KGYX), launched 12:00Z, 8.2 hours before the alert went out and 182 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 12:00Z on 1998-07-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 97 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 12:00Z on 1998-07-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
97 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
461 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-26 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 KPWM 012010
FFWPWM
MEC025-020005-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
409 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN SOUTHERN SOMERSET COUNTY IN CENTRAL MAINE

* UNTIL 805 PM EDT

* AT 400 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS NEAR PITTSFIELD
  ...PALMYRA AND DETROIT IN SOUTHEASTERN SOMERSET COUNTY.

DOPPLER WEATHER RADAR ESTIMATES OVER TWO INCHES OF RAIN FELL
DURING THE LAST HOUR IN THIS AREA.  LOCALLY...RAINFALL TOTALS THIS
AFTERNOON WILL EXCEED THREE INCHES IN SOUTHEASTERN SOMERSET
COUNTY.

THE SEBASTICOOK RIVER AND THE MADAWASKA AND WITCHCOMBE BROOKS
WILL RISE OVER THEIR BANKS.

DON'T CAMP NEAR STREAMS OR OTHER LOW AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING!

JC/TH

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 1, 1:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before
BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SPECIAL SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
126 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

NHZ003-012225-

.NOW...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY OVER
NORTHERN GRAFTON COUNTY THROUGH 230 PM...MAKING FOR RAINFALL TOTALS
IN THE TWO TO THREE INCH RANGE THIS AFTERNOON.  EXPECT RAPID RISES
ON SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS THROUGH 400 PM.  THE AMMONOOSUC RIVER
WILL CONTINUE TO RISE NEAR BATH ARND WOODSVILLE.
&&
...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS...

JC
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 1:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before
BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SPECIAL SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
126 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

NHZ003-012225-

.NOW...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY OVER
NORTHERN GRAFTON COUNTY THROUGH 230 PM...MAKING FOR RAINFALL TOTALS
IN THE TWO TO THREE INCH RANGE THIS AFTERNOON.  EXPECT RAPID RISES
ON SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS THROUGH 400 PM.  THE AMMONOOSUC RIVER
WILL CONTINUE TO RISE NEAR BATH ARND WOODSVILLE.
&&
...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS...

JC
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 1:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before
BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SPECIAL SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
130 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

MEZ012-012235-

.NOW...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY A FEW MILES
NORTH OF BETHEL THROUGH 230 PM.  RAINFALL TOTALS THIS AFTERNOON
WILL LOCALLY BE IN THE TWO TO THREE INCH RANGE IN THIS AREA.
EXPECT SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS TO BE ON THE RISE.
&&
...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SMALL RIXVERS AND STREAMS...

JC
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 1:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 39 minutes before
BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SPECIAL SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
130 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

MEZ012-012235-

.NOW...
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL REMAIN NEARLY STATIONARY A FEW MILES
NORTH OF BETHEL THROUGH 230 PM.  RAINFALL TOTALS THIS AFTERNOON
WILL LOCALLY BE IN THE TWO TO THREE INCH RANGE IN THIS AREA.
EXPECT SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS TO BE ON THE RISE.
&&
...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SMALL RIXVERS AND STREAMS...

JC
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 3:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SPECIAL SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
304 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

MEZ013-020005-

.NOW...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES THAT SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE PAST HOUR HAVE DEPOSITED BETWEEN TWO AND
THREE INCHES OF RAIN NEAR WEBB LAKE IN SOUTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY.
THIS WILL CAUSE SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS TO RISE TO NEAR BANKFUL.
MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THROUGH 5
PM...DROPPING AN ADDITIONAL HALF INCH OF RAIN.

PEOPLE ALONG THE WEBB RIVER SHOULD MONITOR WATER LEVELS AND BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODWATERS THREATEN.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
&&
...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON...
Special weather statement, Jul 1, 3:04 PM EDT, 1 hour 5 minutes before
BULLETIN- IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SPECIAL SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
304 PM EDT WED JUL 1 1998

MEZ013-020005-

.NOW...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES THAT SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS DURING THE PAST HOUR HAVE DEPOSITED BETWEEN TWO AND
THREE INCHES OF RAIN NEAR WEBB LAKE IN SOUTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY.
THIS WILL CAUSE SMALL RIVERS AND STREAMS TO RISE TO NEAR BANKFUL.
MORE SHOWERS AND STORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION THROUGH 5
PM...DROPPING AN ADDITIONAL HALF INCH OF RAIN.

PEOPLE ALONG THE WEBB RIVER SHOULD MONITOR WATER LEVELS AND BE
PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODWATERS THREATEN.  DO NOT
ATTEMPT TO DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.
&&
...A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON...

The office that day

Everything else NWS Gray, ME issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 1, 3:11 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGYXFranklin89 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Maine, 1998Every flash flood warning in 1998

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.