Alert archive / Massachusetts / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 25, NWS Albany, NY

August 21, 2011Berkshire County, Massachusetts

NWS Albany, NY issued this flash flood warning at Aug 21, 2011, 7:47 PM EDT for Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 2011, 7:47 PM EDT (23:47 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 2011, 10:45 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Albany, NY
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Berkshire County, MA

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:49 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, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 69 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, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2011-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 453 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, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2011-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 114 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
453 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-97 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1024 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
114 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
0.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

598 
WGUS51 KALY 212347
FFWALY
MAC003-220245-
/O.NEW.KALY.FF.W.0025.110821T2347Z-110822T0245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
747 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN ALBANY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BERKSHIRE COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF PITTSFIELD...

* UNTIL 1045 PM EDT

* AT 745 PM EDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED FLASH FLOODING FROM A
  THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SAVOY...NEW
  ASHFORD...HANCOCK...CHESHIRE AND ADAMS

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE
UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS
SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE 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 FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

PLEASE REPORT FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY EMAIL AT
ALB.STORMREPORT@NOAA.GOV OR ON FACEBOOK AT
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.ALBANY.GOV.

&&

LAT...LON 4264 7294 4255 7297 4251 7296 4239 7300
      4238 7302 4238 7306 4233 7306 4231 7300
      4230 7300 4237 7340 4266 7330

$$

SND
1 follow-up statement
077 
WGUS71 KALY 220236
FFSALY

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
1036 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

MAC003-220247-
/O.EXP.KALY.FF.W.0025.000000T0000Z-110822T0245Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BERKSHIRE MA-
1036 PM EDT SUN AUG 21 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 1045 PM EDT FOR NORTHERN
BERKSHIRE COUNTY...

PLEASE REPORT FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BY EMAIL AT
ALB.STORMREPORT@NOAA.GOV OR ON FACEBOOK AT
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.ALBANY.GOV

LAT...LON 4264 7294 4255 7297 4251 7296 4239 7300
      4238 7302 4238 7306 4233 7306 4231 7300
      4230 7300 4237 7340 4266 7330

$$

SND

The office that day

Everything else NWS Albany, NY issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 21, 12:57 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire63 min
Aug 21, 1:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire54 min
Aug 21, 1:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire61 min
Aug 21, 6:19 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementALYBerkshire26 min
Aug 21, 6:25 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningALYBerkshire65 min
Aug 21, 7:02 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryALYBerkshire4 hr
Aug 21, 7:06 PM EDTTornado WarningALYBerkshire39 min
Aug 21, 7:57 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementALYBerkshire48 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Massachusetts, 2011Every flash flood warning in 2011

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.