Alert archive / Massachusetts / Flash Flood Warnings in 2008

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

July 22, 2008Hampden County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 22, 2008, 7:03 PM EDT for Hampden County, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 117 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Jul 22, 2008, 7:03 PM EDT (23:03 UTC)
Expired: Jul 22, 2008, 9:00 PM EDT
In force: 117 min
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Hampden County, MA, Hampshire County, MA

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:06 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

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 11.1 hours before the alert went out and 88 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: 103 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -38 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 564 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 35 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 39 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 61 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WGUS51 KBOX 222303
FFWBOX
MAC013-015-230100-
/O.NEW.KBOX.FF.W.0006.080722T2303Z-080723T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
703 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  HAMPDEN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...SPRINGFIELD...CHICOPEE...
  HAMPSHIRE COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...NORTHAMPTON...AMHERST...

* UNTIL 900 PM EDT

* AT 658 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
FLASH FLOODING FROM THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE WARNED AREA.  THESE 
THUNDERSTORMS WERE DROPPING TORRENTIAL RAINFALL ACROSS THIS REGION 
AND WERE MOVING VERY SLOWLY.  SOME LOCATIONS MAY SEE UP TO 2 INCHES 
OF RAIN IN JUST 1 HOUR

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  WORTHINGTON...WILLIAMSBURG...WESTHAMPTON...MIDDLEFIELD...
  HATFIELD...HADLEY...CHESTERFIELD AND CHESTER

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN WILL CAUSE RAPID FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS. FLOODING OF URBAN AREAS...INCLUDING ROADS AND
UNDERPASSES IS ALSO EXPECTED.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY...INCLUDING UNDERPASSES. THE WATER MAY BE TOO DEEP TO ALLOW
VEHICLES TO CROSS SAFELY...OR THE ROADWAY MAY BE UNDERMINED.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES. NEVER DRIVE INTO AREAS WHERE
WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. FLOOD WATERS ARE USUALLY DEEPER THAN THEY
APPEAR. JUST ONE FOOT OF FLOWING WATER IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO SWEEP
VEHICLES OFF THE ROAD. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODING ROADS MAKE THE
SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

LAT...LON 4240 7301 4243 7300 4238 7237 4208 7234
      4205 7306 4216 7306 4217 7303 4227 7301
      4229 7301 4232 7306 4239 7306

$$

FRANK

1 follow-up statement

000 
WGUS71 KBOX 230038
FFSBOX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
838 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008

MAC013-015-230100-
/O.CON.KBOX.FF.W.0006.000000T0000Z-080723T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HAMPSHIRE MA-HAMPDEN MA-
838 PM EDT TUE JUL 22 2008

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM EDT FOR
HAMPDEN AND HAMPSHIRE COUNTIES...

AT 832 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT THE HEAVIEST RAIN WAS EXITING THE REGION.  HOWEVER...WE HAVE 
RECEIVED SEVERAL REPORTS OF STREET FLOODING THIS EVENING.  WE HAD 
SEVERAL CARS STUCK IN FLOOD WATERS IN PALMER AT AROUND 8 PM THIS 
EVENING.

SINCE THE HEAVY RAIN IS EXITING THE REGION THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 9 PM.  HOWEVER...MOTORISTS ARE URGED 
NOT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SOUTH
HADLEY...WORTHINGTON...WILLIAMSBURG...WESTHAMPTON...NORTHAMPTON...
MIDDLEFIELD...HATFIELD...HADLEY...CHESTERFIELD...CHESTER...
BELCHERTOWN AND AMHERST


DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

LAT...LON 4240 7301 4243 7300 4238 7237 4208 7234
      4205 7306 4216 7306 4217 7303 4227 7301
      4229 7301 4232 7306 4239 7306

$$

FRANK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 22, 4:55 AM EDT	High Surf Advisory	BOX	Dukes, Nantucket	15 hr
Jul 22, 5:03 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire	3 hr
Jul 22, 6:15 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Hampden, Hampshire	60 min
Jul 22, 6:34 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex, Worcester	3 hr
Jul 22, 7:53 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOX	Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester	39 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Massachusetts, 2008 Every flash flood warning in 2008

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.