Alert archive / Maine / Flash Flood Warnings in 1998

Flash Flood Warning 45, NWS Gray, ME

October 10, 1998Cumberland County, York County, Maine

NWS Gray, ME issued this flash flood warning at Oct 10, 1998, 12:14 PM EDT for Cumberland County, York County, Maine. It was in force for 12 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
Oct 10, 1998, 12:14 PM EDT (16:14 UTC)
Expired
Oct 11, 1998, 12:15 AM EDT
In force
12 hr
Issued by
NWS Gray, ME
Area
Whole counties

Counties Cumberland County, ME, York County, ME

The radar

The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:17 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Gray, ME (KGYX), launched 12:00Z, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 36 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 1998-10-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1998-10-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 147 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
456 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
147 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
252 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 101614 RRA
FFWPWM
MEC005-015-023-031-110415-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
1214 PM EDT SAT OCT 10 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAY HAS ISSUED A

* FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CUMBERLAND COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MAINE
  LINCOLN COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MAINE
  SAGADAHOC COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MAINE
  YORK COUNTY IN SOUTHERN MAINE

* UNTIL 1215 AM EDT

* AT 1205 PM EDT...WEATHER SPOTTERS INDICATED LOCAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS
OVER THE LAST THREE DAYS WERE IN THE 7 TO 9 INCH RANGE.  IN
CAMP ELLIS (SACO)...9.13 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN SINCE THURSDAY.
MANY COMMUNTIES IN SOUTH COASTAL MAINE HAVE RECEIVED OVER 4 INCHES
OF RAIN OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING.

LOW LYING AREA(S AND ROADWAYS CAN EXPECT FLOODING.  LOCAL STREAMS
WILL RISE TO NEAR BANKFUL.  THE MOST RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE TO FALL
NEAR OR ALONG THE COASTLINE.

DON'T DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD!

CANNON

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 10, 9:58 AM EDT, 2 hours 16 minutes before
SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
958 AM EDT SAT OCT 10 1998

MEZ021-NHZ002-101450-

.NOW...
PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF
MAINE THROUGH NOONTIME.  LOOK FOR ANOTHER QUICK INCH OF RAIN TO
FALL IN PORTIONS OF COASTAL YORK COUNTY...COASTAL CUMBERLAND...
SAGADAHOC AND LINCOLN COUNTIES THROUGH NOONTIME.  THIS WILL BRING
THREE DAY STORM TOTALS INTO THE 5 TO 7 INCH RAIN...CAUSING MINOR
FLOODING IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

JC
Special weather statement, Oct 10, 9:58 AM EDT, 2 hours 16 minutes before
SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
958 AM EDT SAT OCT 10 1998

MEZ021-NHZ002-101450-

.NOW...
PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF
MAINE THROUGH NOONTIME.  LOOK FOR ANOTHER QUICK INCH OF RAIN TO
FALL IN PORTIONS OF COASTAL YORK COUNTY...COASTAL CUMBERLAND...
SAGADAHOC AND LINCOLN COUNTIES THROUGH NOONTIME.  THIS WILL BRING
THREE DAY STORM TOTALS INTO THE 5 TO 7 INCH RAIN...CAUSING MINOR
FLOODING IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

JC
Special weather statement, Oct 10, 10:08 AM EDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
MEZ007>030-102000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
1007 AM EST FRI OCT 10 1998

...HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS IN
PORTIONS OF MAINE TODAY...

TWO DAYS OF RAIN HAVE LEFT THE GROUND SATURATED OVER SOUTHWEST MAINE
AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING IS RESULTING IN
SOME POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING IN COASTAL AND URBAN CENTERS OF SOUTHWEST
MAINE. THE PROBLEM IS BEING AGGRAVATED BY FALLEN LEAVES BLOCKING DRAINS
IN SOME LOCATIONS. SEVERAL STREETS IN THE PORTLAND AREA HAVE BEEN
CLOSED OFF DUE TO HIGH WATER.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACCUMULATED SINCE RAIN BEGAN EARLY ON THURSDAY ARE
GENERALLY IN THE 3 TO 6 INCH RANGE ACROSS THE REGION...WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS IN COASTAL LOCATIONS.

AT 1000 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THE HEAVIEST
RAIN FINALLY PUSHING NORTH OF THE PORTLAND AREA INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND
CENTRAL HIGHLANDS...BUT LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL CONTINUE IN COASTAL
AREAS AND WILL BE OCCASIONALLY HEAVY THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. RAIN WILL
BECOME HEAVY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MAINE BY EARLY
AFTERNOON.

EJS/NWS GRAY ME
Special weather statement, Oct 10, 10:15 AM EDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
MEZ007>030-102000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
1007 AM EST SAT OCT 10 1998

...HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS IN
PORTIONS OF MAINE TODAY...

TWO DAYS OF RAIN HAVE LEFT THE GROUND SATURATED OVER SOUTHWEST MAINE
AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING IS RESULTING IN
SOME POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING IN COASTAL AND URBAN CENTERS OF SOUTHWEST
MAINE. THE PROBLEM IS BEING AGGRAVATED BY FALLEN LEAVES BLOCKING DRAINS
IN SOME LOCATIONS. SEVERAL STREETS IN THE PORTLAND AREA HAVE BEEN
CLOSED OFF DUE TO HIGH WATER.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACCUMULATED SINCE RAIN BEGAN EARLY ON THURSDAY ARE
GENERALLY IN THE 3 TO 6 INCH RANGE ACROSS THE REGION...WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS IN COASTAL LOCATIONS.

AT 1000 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THE HEAVIEST
RAIN FINALLY PUSHING NORTH OF THE PORTLAND AREA INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND
CENTRAL HIGHLANDS...BUT LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL CONTINUE IN COASTAL
AREAS AND WILL BE OCCASIONALLY HEAVY THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. RAIN WILL
BECOME HEAVY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MAINE BY EARLY
AFTERNOON.

EJS/NWS GRAY ME
Special weather statement, Oct 10, 11:07 AM EDT, 1 hour 7 minutes before
MEZ007>030-102000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
1007 AM EST FRI OCT 10 1998

...HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS IN
PORTIONS OF MAINE TODAY...

TWO DAYS OF RAIN HAVE LEFT THE GROUND SATURATED OVER SOUTHWEST MAINE
AND ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING IS RESULTING IN
SOME POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING IN COASTAL AND URBAN CENTERS OF SOUTHWEST
MAINE. THE PROBLEM IS BEING AGGRAVATED BY FALLEN LEAVES BLOCKING DRAINS
IN SOME LOCATIONS. SEVERAL STREETS IN THE PORTLAND AREA HAVE BEEN
CLOSED OFF DUE TO HIGH WATER.

RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACCUMULATED SINCE RAIN BEGAN EARLY ON THURSDAY ARE
GENERALLY IN THE 3 TO 6 INCH RANGE ACROSS THE REGION...WITH LOCALLY
HIGHER AMOUNTS IN COASTAL LOCATIONS.

AT 1000 AM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THE HEAVIEST
RAIN FINALLY PUSHING NORTH OF THE PORTLAND AREA INTO THE FOOTHILLS AND
CENTRAL HIGHLANDS...BUT LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL CONTINUE IN COASTAL
AREAS AND WILL BE OCCASIONALLY HEAVY THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. RAIN WILL
BECOME HEAVY IN THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MAINE BY EARLY
AFTERNOON.

EJS/NWS GRAY ME

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 10, 12:14 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningGYXLincoln, Sagadahoc12 hr

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.