Alert archive / Massachusetts / Flash Flood Warnings in 2013

Flash Flood Warning 53, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

September 2, 2013Worcester County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 2, 2013, 12:09 PM EDT for Worcester County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 3 hr. 2 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
Sep 2, 2013, 12:09 PM EDT (16:09 UTC)
Expired
Sep 2, 2013, 3:15 PM EDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Worcester County, MA

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:08 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
Sep 2, 12:44 PM EDTFLOODSpencer, MACAR STUCK IN FLOOD WATERS ON MEADOW ST. MEADOW ST IS FLOODED AND IMPASSABLE.
Sep 2, 12:44 PM EDTFLOODSpencer, MACAR STUCK IN WATER ON MEADOW ST

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, 4.2 hours before the alert went out and 161 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 2013-09-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 129 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 2013-09-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 11 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
129 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-123 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
712 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
31 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.

871 
WGUS51 KBOX 021609
FFWBOX
MAC027-021915-
/O.NEW.KBOX.FF.W.0053.130902T1609Z-130902T1915Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1209 PM EDT MON SEP 2 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS...

* UNTIL 315 PM EDT

* AT 1207 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING 
  HEAVY RAIN ACROSS SOUTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY. RADAR INDICATES 
  RAINFALL RATES OF 1 AND A HALF TO TWO AND A HALF INCHES PER HOURS 
  WITH THESE THUNDERSTORMS. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN 
  SHORTLY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  WORCESTER...HOLDEN...CHARLTON...SPENCER...LEICESTER...STURBRIDGE...
  PAXTON...NORTH BROOKFIELD...WEST BROOKFIELD...BROOKFIELD...EAST
  BROOKFIELD AND OAKHAM.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

RAPID AND POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND
ROADWAYS IS IMMINENT. HEAD TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT DRIVE
THROUGH FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES.

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

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 4237 7184 4224 7185 4206 7211 4228 7213

$$

AED

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 2, 4:21 AM EDTFlash Flood WatchBOXBristol, Essex, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Middlesex and 4 more21 hr

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.