Alert archive / Massachusetts / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

May 31, 2015Bristol County, Providence County, Rhode Island; Bristol County, Norfolk County, Worcester County, Massachusetts

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this flash flood warning at May 31, 2015, 4:51 PM EDT for Bristol County, Providence County, Rhode Island; Bristol County, Norfolk County, Worcester County, Massachusetts. It was in force for 3 hr. 5 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: May 31, 2015, 4:51 PM EDT (20:51 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2015, 7:45 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Bristol County, MA, Norfolk County, MA, Worcester County, MA, Bristol County, RI, Providence County, RI

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:52 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 31, 4:51 PM EDT	FLOOD	East Providence, RI	NEWPORT AVENUE AT FERRIS AVENUE FLOODED AND IMPASSABLE
May 31, 4:51 PM EDT	FLOOD	North Providence, RI	CAR STUCK IN FLOOD WATERS ON STELLA DRIVE. UNCONFIRMED REPORT THAT RESCUE BEING ATTEMPTED.
May 31, 4:55 PM EDT	FLOOD	Pawtucket, RI	CONANT AND WEEDEN STREET FLOODED AND IMPASSABLE.
May 31, 5:34 PM EDT	FLOOD	Smithfield, RI	ROUTE 44 HAD APPROXIMATELY 6-12 INCHES OF WATER FLOODING IT.
May 31, 7:32 PM EDT	FLOOD	Cranston, RI	WILBUR AVENUE - IMPASSABLE DUE TO FLOODING

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

The nearest sounding before it

Chatham, MA (KCHH), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 116 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: 6 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -295 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 745 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 2 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -11 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 33 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.

147 
WGUS51 KBOX 312051
FFWBOX
MAC005-021-027-RIC001-007-312345-
/O.NEW.KBOX.FF.W.0003.150531T2051Z-150531T2345Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
451 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN BRISTOL COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN MASSACHUSETTS...
  SOUTHWESTERN NORFOLK COUNTY IN EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS...
  SOUTHEASTERN WORCESTER COUNTY IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS...
  NORTHWESTERN BRISTOL COUNTY IN RHODE ISLAND...
  PROVIDENCE COUNTY IN RHODE ISLAND...

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 451 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED HEAVY RAIN AND EMBEDDED 
  THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. UP TO 
  TWO INCHES OF RAIN HAVE ALREADY FALLEN. FLASH FLOODING IS EXPECTED 
  TO BEGIN SHORTLY.

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 4210 7176 4217 7111 4175 7104 4175 7113
      4177 7111 4175 7114 4175 7128 4176 7128
      4175 7129 4175 7135 4179 7137 4176 7139
      4177 7142 4174 7145 4174 7177

$$

FRANK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 31, 3:29 PM EDT	Flash Flood Watch	BOX	Bristol, Kent, Newport, Providence, Washington	41 hr
May 31, 4:01 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Providence	119 min
May 31, 4:21 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX	Providence	39 min
May 31, 4:24 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Providence	2 hr
May 31, 5:26 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Bristol, Kent, Newport, Washington	2 hr
May 31, 7:12 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Kent, Providence	3 hr
May 31, 2:20 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Hampden	55 min
May 31, 2:40 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Essex, Middlesex	65 min
May 31, 2:59 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Worcester	61 min
May 31, 3:14 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Worcester	3 hr
May 31, 3:22 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk	53 min
May 31, 3:31 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Hampden, Hampshire	59 min
May 31, 4:01 PM EDT	Small Craft Advisory	BOX		12 hr
May 31, 4:33 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Worcester	3 hr
May 31, 6:40 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Plymouth	2 hr
May 31, 7:56 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Bristol, Plymouth	2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Massachusetts, 2015 Flash Flood Warnings in Rhode Island, 2015 Every flash flood warning in 2015

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.