Alert archive / Maine / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Caribou, ME

June 23, 2012Penobscot County, Maine

NWS Caribou, ME issued this flash flood warning at Jun 23, 2012, 6:47 PM EDT for Penobscot County, Maine. 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
Jun 23, 2012, 6:47 PM EDT (22:47 UTC)
Expired
Jun 23, 2012, 9:40 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Caribou, ME
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Penobscot County, ME

The radar

The Caribou radar (KCBW), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:47 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

Caribou, ME (KCAR), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 109 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, Caribou, ME at 12:00Z on 2012-06-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 91 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Caribou, ME at 12:00Z on 2012-06-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 4 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
91 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-64 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
456 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
34 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.

320 
WGUS51 KCAR 232247
FFWCAR
MEC019-240145-
/O.NEW.KCAR.FF.W.0003.120623T2247Z-120624T0145Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
647 PM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CARIBOU MAINE HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL PENOBSCOT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MAINE...

* UNTIL 945 PM EDT

* AT 642 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  FLASH FLOODING FROM A THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA.           
  RAINFALL RATES OF UP TO 2 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR ARE OCCURRING WITH  
  THIS STORM. SIMILAR RAINFALL RATES COULD PERSIST FOR THE NEXT      
  SEVERAL HOURS.

* THE STORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE INDICATED COUNTY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
BROOKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. IN ADDITION...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF BROOKS AND STREAMS WILL BE
SUBJECT TO FLOODING. IF YOU ENCOUNTER WATER ON THE ROADWAY...TURN
AROUND...DONT DROWN!

CAMPERS AND HIKERS SHOULD AVOID LOW LYING AREAS ALONG BROOKS...
STREAMS...AND RIVERS. WATER CAN RISE QUICKLY AND CATCH YOU OFF-GUARD.
AVOID WATER CROSSINGS AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY!

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND BROOKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

&&

LAT...LON 4609 6878 4610 6847 4587 6847 4587 6881

$$

NORCROSS
2 follow-up statements
728 
WGUS71 KCAR 232357
FFSCAR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
757 PM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012

MEC019-240145-
/O.CON.KCAR.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120624T0145Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PENOBSCOT ME-
757 PM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 945 PM EDT FOR NORTH
CENTRAL PENOBSCOT COUNTY...

AT 755 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING OVER THE WARNED 
AREA. RADAR HAS ESTIMATED THAT UP TO 4 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN HAS
FALLEN WITHIN PORTIONS OF THE WARNING AREA OVER THE PAST THREE 
HOURS. THE HEAVIEST RAINS HAVE FALLEN IN RURAL AREAS JUST SOUTH OF 
SHIN POND. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN COULD PERSIST FOR SEVERAL MORE HOURS. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
BROOKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE
BANKS OF BROOKS AND STREAMS.

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.

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.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND BROOKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE.

&&

LAT...LON 4609 6878 4610 6847 4587 6847 4587 6881

$$

NORCROSS
344 
WGUS71 KCAR 240140
FFSCAR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CARIBOU ME
940 PM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012

MEC019-240144-
/O.CAN.KCAR.FF.W.0003.000000T0000Z-120624T0145Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
PENOBSCOT ME-
940 PM EDT SAT JUN 23 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR NORTH CENTRAL
PENOBSCOT COUNTY...

THE HEAVIEST RAIN HAS NOW EXITED THE WARNING AREA. THUS...THE FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED. RADAR ESTIMATED THAT LOCALLY UP 
TO 4 TO 6 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA THROUGH THE 
LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. ALTHOUGH THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
HAS BEEN CANCELLED...WATER LEVELS COULD REMAIN ELEVATED ON BROOKS 
AND STREAMS OVERNIGHT. BE PARTICULARLY ALERT AFTER DARK 
ALONG ELEVATED BROOKS AND STREAMS.    

LAT...LON 4609 6878 4610 6847 4587 6847 4587 6881

$$

NORCROSS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 23, 1:00 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryCARPiscataquis3 hr
Jun 23, 5:22 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCARPiscataquis6 hr
Jun 23, 6:27 PM EDTFlash Flood WarningCARPiscataquis11 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Maine, 2012Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.