Alert archive / Massachusetts / Flash Flood Warnings in 2013

Flash Flood Warning 46, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

August 31, 2013Franklin County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this flash flood warning at Aug 31, 2013, 3:36 PM EDT for Franklin County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 4 hr. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 31, 2013, 3:36 PM EDT (19:36 UTC)
Expired
Aug 31, 2013, 7:30 PM EDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Franklin County, MA

The radar

The Albany radar (KENX), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:37 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 31, 4:15 PM EDTFLOODGreenfield, MAEDEN TRAIL FLOODED AND IMPASSABLE
Aug 31, 5:18 PM EDTFLASH FLOODGreenfield, MAPART OF STETSON DRIVE IS WASHED OUT...THE ROAD HAS BEEN CLOSED.
Aug 31, 5:40 PM EDTFLASH FLOODBernardston, MASEVERAL DIRT ROADS WERE WASHED OUT....VIA FACEBOOK

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Albany, NY (KALY), launched 12:00Z, 7.6 hours before the alert went out and 104 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 2013-08-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1006 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, Albany, NY at 12:00Z on 2013-08-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 123 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
1006 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-62 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
684 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
123 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
157 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.

472 
WGUS51 KBOX 311936
FFWBOX
MAC011-312130-
/O.NEW.KBOX.FF.W.0046.130831T1936Z-130831T2130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
336 PM EDT SAT AUG 31 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 530 PM EDT

* AT 336 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING
  HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA.  FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO
  BEGIN SHORTLY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  GREENFIELD...ORANGE...DEERFIELD...MONTAGUE...NORTHFIELD...
  BERNARDSTON...CONWAY...SHELBURNE...ERVING...COLRAIN...GILL...
  WENDELL...WARWICK AND LEYDEN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED FOR RAPID AND POTENTIALLY LIFE
THREATENING FLOODING. IN URBAN AREAS AVOID FLOODED ROADS AND OBEY
ROAD CLOSURES. THOSE NEAR SMALL STREAMS MUST HEAD FOR HIGHER GROUND
IMMEDIATELY.

&&

LAT...LON 4273 7265 4272 7233 4255 7228 4253 7270
      4271 7275

$$

RLG
3 follow-up statements
810 
WGUS51 KBOX 312126
FFWBOX
MAC011-312330-
/O.EXT.KBOX.FF.W.0046.000000T0000Z-130831T2330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
526 PM EDT SAT AUG 31 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS EXTENDED THE

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 730 PM EDT

* AT 523 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING 
  HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA.  RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL 
  INDICATES TOTAL RAINFALL BETWEEN 4 AND 6 INCHES OF RAIN ALREADY.  
  THIS STORM IS NEARLY STATIONARY AND WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE RAIN 
  OVER THE GREENFIELD/LEYDEN AREA IN PARTICULAR.  FLASH FLOODING IS 
  EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  GREENFIELD...ORANGE...DEERFIELD...MONTAGUE...NORTHFIELD...
  BERNARDSTON...CONWAY...SHELBURNE...ERVING...COLRAIN...GILL...
  WENDELL...WARWICK AND LEYDEN.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES. TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 4273 7265 4272 7233 4255 7228 4253 7270
      4271 7275

$$

RLG
894 
WGUS71 KBOX 312253
FFSBOX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
653 PM EDT SAT AUG 31 2013

MAC011-312330-
/O.CON.KBOX.FF.W.0046.000000T0000Z-130831T2330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
FRANKLIN MA-
653 PM EDT SAT AUG 31 2013

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM EDT FOR
NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY...

AT 648 PM EDT...WHILE THE INITIAL STORMS CAUSING THE HEAVY RAIN HAVE 
MOVED OUT OF THE WARNED AREA...MORE STORMS ARE ABOUT TO MOVE INTO 
NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY.  THESE NEW STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF 
PRODUCING ADDITIONAL FLOODING.  RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL FROM THE 
PREVIOUS STORM WAS BETWEEN 4 AND 5 INCHES.  
 
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS ISSUED FOR RAPID AND POTENTIALLY LIFE
THREATENING FLOODING. IN URBAN AREAS AVOID FLOODED ROADS AND OBEY
ROAD CLOSURES. THOSE NEAR SMALL STREAMS MUST HEAD FOR HIGHER GROUND
IMMEDIATELY.

&&

LAT...LON 4273 7265 4272 7233 4255 7228 4253 7270
      4271 7275

$$

RLG
554 
WGUS71 KBOX 312324
FFSBOX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
724 PM EDT SAT AUG 31 2013

MAC011-312333-
/O.EXP.KBOX.FF.W.0046.000000T0000Z-130831T2330Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
FRANKLIN MA-
724 PM EDT SAT AUG 31 2013

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR NORTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 730 PM EDT...

WHILE IT IS STILL RAINING ACROSS THE WARNED AREA.  THE STORM HAS 
WEAKENED AND IS NO LONGER PRODUCING HIGH RAINFALL RATES.  FLOODING 
IS NO LONGER EXPECTED TO POSE A THREAT.

LAT...LON 4273 7265 4272 7233 4255 7228 4253 7270
      4271 7275

$$

RLG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 31, 1:57 PM EDTSmall Craft AdvisoryBOX5 hr
Aug 31, 3:20 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBOXFranklin40 min
Aug 31, 3:34 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOXFranklin41 min
Aug 31, 7:13 PM EDTSpecial Weather StatementBOXHampshire47 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Massachusetts, 2013Every flash flood warning in 2013

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.