Alert archive / Rhode Island / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 5, NWS Boston/Norton, MA

May 31, 2015Kent County, Providence County, Rhode Island; Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut

NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this flash flood warning at May 31, 2015, 7:12 PM EDT for Kent County, Providence County, Rhode Island; Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut. It was in force for 3 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: May 31, 2015, 7:12 PM EDT (23:12 UTC)
Expired: May 31, 2015, 10:15 PM EDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Boston/Norton, MA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

Counties Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT, Kent County, RI, Providence County, RI

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 50 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:15 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, 7:32 PM EDT	FLOOD	Cranston, RI	WILBUR AVENUE - IMPASSABLE DUE TO FLOODING
May 31, 8:21 PM EDT	FLOOD	Cranston, RI	2 CARS STUCK IN FLOOD WATERS AT THE OAKLAWN UNDERPASS
May 31, 9:58 PM EDT	FLOOD	Warwick, RI	LANSDOWNE ROAD CLOSED NEAR MIANTONOMO DRIVE 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

Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 138 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: 106 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -105 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 746 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 41 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.

710 
WGUS51 KBOX 312312
FFWBOX
CTC013-015-RIC003-007-010215-
/O.NEW.KBOX.FF.W.0005.150531T2312Z-150601T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAUNTON HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN WINDHAM COUNTY IN NORTHERN CONNECTICUT...
  CENTRAL TOLLAND COUNTY IN NORTHERN CONNECTICUT...
  KENT COUNTY IN RHODE ISLAND...
  SOUTHERN PROVIDENCE COUNTY IN RHODE ISLAND...

* UNTIL 1015 PM EDT

* AT 709 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED HEAVY RAIN AND EMBEDDED 
  THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. UP TO THREE INCHES OF RAIN 
  HAS ALREADY FALLEN IN A FEW LOCATIONS AND AN ADDITIONAL 1 TO 2 
  INCHES IS EXPECTED OVER THE NEXT HOUR OR TWO. FLASH FLOODING IS 
  EXPECTED TO BEGIN SHORTLY.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  PROVIDENCE...WARWICK...CRANSTON...PAWTUCKET...EAST PROVIDENCE...
  CUMBERLAND...NORTH PROVIDENCE...WEST WARWICK...JOHNSTON...
  MANSFIELD...NORTH KINGSTOWN...WINDHAM...PLAINFIELD...ATTLEBORO...
  SMITHFIELD...LINCOLN...CENTRAL FALLS...WILLIMANTIC...KILLINGLY...
  BARRINGTON...TOLLAND...SEEKONK...EAST GREENWICH...COVENTRY...
  SCITUATE...GLOCESTER...HEBRON...BROOKLYN...EXETER AND WEST
  GREENWICH.

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 4164 7179 4163 7196 4166 7216 4171 7224
      4160 7235 4184 7236 4191 7138 4190 7134
      4177 7132 4175 7136 4179 7138 4178 7139
      4172 7136 4167 7137 4169 7145 4168 7145
      4166 7144 4166 7141 4160 7149 4160 7179

$$

FRANK

1 follow-up statement

578 
WGUS71 KBOX 010111
FFSBOX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
911 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 2015

CTC013-015-RIC003-007-010119-
/O.CAN.KBOX.FF.W.0005.000000T0000Z-150601T0215Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
WINDHAM CT-TOLLAND CT-KENT RI-PROVIDENCE RI-
911 PM EDT SUN MAY 31 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SOUTHERN WINDHAM...CENTRAL TOLLAND...
KENT AND SOUTHERN PROVIDENCE COUNTIES IS CANCELLED...

THE HEAVIEST OF THE RAIN HAS ENDED...AND ADDITIONAL FLOODING IS NO 
LONGER EXPECTED TO POSE A THREAT.  THEREFORE...THE FLASH FLOOD 
WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED. HOWEVER...POOR DRAINAGE STREET FLOODING 
MAY STILL BE OCCURRING IN THE TYPICALLY PRONE LOCATIONS AND IN 
UNDERPASSES.  DRIVE WITH EXTRA CAUTION THIS EVENING.

LAT...LON 4164 7179 4163 7196 4166 7216 4171 7224
      4160 7235 4184 7236 4191 7138 4190 7134
      4177 7132 4175 7136 4179 7138 4178 7139
      4172 7136 4167 7137 4169 7145 4168 7145
      4166 7144 4166 7141 4160 7149 4160 7179

$$

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, 4:51 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Bristol, Providence	3 hr
May 31, 5:26 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Bristol, Kent, Newport, Washington	2 hr
May 31, 1:55 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	BOX		50 min
May 31, 2:20 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Capitol Planning Region	55 min
May 31, 3:31 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Capitol Planning Region	59 min
May 31, 4:08 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region	67 min
May 31, 4:33 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region	3 hr
May 31, 4:35 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOX	Capitol Planning Region	115 min
May 31, 5:03 PM EDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOX	Capitol Planning Region	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Rhode Island, 2015 Flash Flood Warnings in Connecticut, 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.