Alert archive / Rhode Island / Flash Flood Warnings in 2026
Flash Flood Warning 12, NWS Boston/Norton, MA
NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued this flash flood warning at Sep 13, 2026, 10:46 AM EDT for Bristol County, Massachusetts; 5 counties in Rhode Island. It was in force for 3 hr. 9 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 13, 2026, 10:46 AM EDT (14:46 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 13, 2026, 1:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Boston/Norton, MA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Flood severity
- None
Counties Bristol County, MA, Bristol County, RI, Kent County, RI, Newport County, RI, Providence County, RI, Washington County, RI
The radar
The Boston radar (KBOX), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 14:51 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 11:20 AM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Nw West Warwick, RI | In West Warwick, a basement apartment flooded and basement apartments were evacuated. Relayed by amateur radio. |
| Sep 13, 11:27 AM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 3 S Somerset, MA | In Fall River, major flooding was reported on Plymouth Ave. Relayed by amateur radio. |
| Sep 13, 11:33 AM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 3 S Somerset, MA | In Fall River, the Route 24 SB on ramp to I-95 was closed due to 1 foot of street flooding. Relayed by amateur radio. |
| Sep 13, 11:36 AM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 2 W West Greenwich, RI | In West Greenwich Nooseneck Hill Rd was flooded and impassable. Relayed by amateur radio. |
| Sep 13, 11:45 AM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 2 S Providence, RI | In Cranston, Reservoir Ave was flooded. |
| Sep 13, 11:45 AM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 3 S Somerset, MA | In Fall River, North Main St, Davol St, Oman St, and Grinnell St had flooding. A car was stuck in flooding on Russell Brogan Blvd and New Boston Rd. Relayed by amateur radio. |
| Sep 13, 11:50 AM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 2 S Providence, RI | In Providence, Huntington Ave was flooded. Relayed by amateur radio. |
| Sep 13, 12:10 PM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 1 Ne West Warwick, RI | In West Warwick, several homes were reported to have flooded on Newell Street. Relayed by amateur radio. |
| Sep 13, 1:30 PM EDT | FLASH FLOOD | 1 W Tf Green Ap, RI | In Warwick, a car was stuck in street flooding and the road was impassible on Coastaway Blvd near Metro Center Blvd. Relayed via amateur radio. |
Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.
Did it verify
Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched 9 storm reports to this flash flood warning; the first came 34 minutes after it went out.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The nearest sounding before it
Brookhaven, NY (KOKX), launched 12:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 146 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 677 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -4 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 475 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 103 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 115 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.4
- Supercell composite
- 2.6
The text
As transmitted.
128
WGUS51 KBOX 131446
FFWBOX
MAC005-RIC001-003-005-007-009-131745-
/O.NEW.KBOX.FF.W.0012.260913T1446Z-260913T1745Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
1046 AM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026
The National Weather Service in Norton has issued a
* Flash Flood Warning for...
Southwestern Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts...
Bristol County in Rhode Island...
Kent County in Rhode Island...
Newport County in Rhode Island...
Southern Providence County in Rhode Island...
Northeastern Washington County in Rhode Island...
* Until 145 PM EDT.
* At 1046 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing
heavy rain across the warned area. The expected rainfall rate is 1
to 2 inches in 1 hour. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches
are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or
expected to begin shortly.
HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,
highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor
drainage and low-lying areas.
* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Providence, Fall River, Warwick, Cranston, East Providence,
Coventry, Dartmouth, North Providence, South Kingstown, West
Warwick, Johnston, North Kingstown, Newport, Bristol, Somerset,
Portsmouth, Barrington, Middletown, Narragansett and Swansea.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.
&&
LAT...LON 4174 7179 4184 7179 4184 7139 4177 7103
4151 7101 4145 7130 4146 7179
FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
EXPECTED RAINFALL RATE...1-2 INCHES IN 1 HOUR
$$
Hrencecin3 follow-up statements
939
WGUS71 KBOX 131541
FFSBOX
Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
1141 AM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026
MAC005-RIC001-003-005-007-009-131745-
/O.CON.KBOX.FF.W.0012.000000T0000Z-260913T1745Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Bristol MA-Bristol RI-Kent RI-Newport RI-Providence RI-Washington
RI-
1141 AM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 145 PM EDT THIS
AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHWESTERN BRISTOL, BRISTOL, KENT, NEWPORT, SOUTHERN
PROVIDENCE AND NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES...
At 1141 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy
rain across the warned area. Between 1 and 2 inches of rain have
fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 1 to 2 inches in 1 hour.
Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the
warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.
HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,
highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor
drainage and low-lying areas.
Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Providence, Fall River, Warwick, Cranston, East Providence,
Coventry, Dartmouth, North Providence, South Kingstown, West
Warwick, Johnston, North Kingstown, Newport, Bristol, Somerset,
Portsmouth, Barrington, Middletown, Narragansett and Swansea.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.
&&
LAT...LON 4174 7179 4184 7179 4184 7139 4177 7103
4151 7101 4145 7130 4146 7179
FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
EXPECTED RAINFALL RATE...1-2 INCHES IN 1 HOUR
$$
Hrencecin283
WGUS71 KBOX 131622
FFSBOX
Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
1222 PM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026
MAC005-RIC001-003-005-007-009-131745-
/O.CON.KBOX.FF.W.0012.000000T0000Z-260913T1745Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Bristol MA-Bristol RI-Kent RI-Newport RI-Providence RI-Washington
RI-
1222 PM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 145 PM EDT THIS
AFTERNOON FOR SOUTHWESTERN BRISTOL MA, BRISTOL RI, KENT, NEWPORT,
SOUTHERN PROVIDENCE AND NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES...
At 1222 PM EDT, Doppler radar and rain gauges indicated thunderstorms
producing heavy rain across the warned area. Between 2 and 3.5 inches
of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 1 to 2 inches in 1
hour. Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in
the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin
shortly.
HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.
SOURCE...Radar and rain gauges.
IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas,
highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor
drainage and low-lying areas.
Some locations that will experience flash flooding include...
Providence, Fall River, Warwick, Cranston, East Providence,
Coventry, Dartmouth, North Providence, South Kingstown, West
Warwick, Johnston, North Kingstown, Newport, Bristol, Somerset,
Portsmouth, Barrington, Middletown, Narragansett and Swansea.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
Be aware of your surroundings and do not drive on flooded roads.
&&
LAT...LON 4174 7179 4184 7179 4184 7139 4177 7103
4151 7101 4145 7130 4146 7179
FLASH FLOOD...RADAR AND GAUGE INDICATED
EXPECTED RAINFALL RATE...1-2 INCHES IN 1 HOUR
$$
Hrencecin411
WGUS71 KBOX 131739
FFSBOX
Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA
139 PM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026
MAC005-RIC001-003-005-007-009-131749-
/O.EXP.KBOX.FF.W.0012.000000T0000Z-260913T1745Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Bristol MA-Bristol RI-Kent RI-Newport RI-Providence RI-Washington
RI-
139 PM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 145 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON FOR
SOUTHWESTERN BRISTOL, BRISTOL, KENT, NEWPORT, SOUTHERN PROVIDENCE AND
NORTHEASTERN WASHINGTON COUNTIES...
The heaviest rain has ended. Please continue to heed remaining road
closures.
A Flood Watch remains in effect until 600 PM EDT for portions of
southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
A Flood Watch remains in effect until 600 PM EDT for portions of
northern Connecticut and Massachusetts.
&&
LAT...LON 4174 7179 4184 7179 4184 7139 4177 7103
4151 7101 4145 7130 4146 7179
$$
HrencecinWhat forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Boston/Norton, MA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Sep 13, 7:24 AM EDT, 3 hours 22 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
- Showers with a few embedded thunderstorms overspread the region this morning. Pockets of torrential rainfall bring the potential for localized flash flooding with the greatest risk near the south coast.
- Overall the weather looks rather quiet and mainly dry for the upcoming work week with just the risk for a few showers sometime Thu and/or Fri. Seasonable temps Mon and Tue with a brief bout of summer warmth possible Wed and/or Thu ahead of a cold front.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 13, 7:24 AM EDT, 3 hours 22 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Boston/Norton MA 724 AM EDT Sun Sep 13 2026 .WHAT HAS CHANGED... No significant changes have been made to the forecast. && .KEY MESSAGES... - Showers with a few embedded thunderstorms overspread the region this morning. Pockets of torrential rainfall bring the potential for localized flash flooding with the greatest risk near the south coast. - Overall the weather looks rather quiet and mainly dry for the upcoming work week with just the risk for a few showers sometime Thu and/or Fri. Seasonable temps Mon and Tue with a brief bout of summer warmth possible Wed and/or Thu ahead of a cold front. && .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGE 1...Showers with a few embedded thunderstorms overspread the region this morning. Pockets of torrential rainfall bring the potential for localized flash flooding with the greatest risk near the south coast. A fairly strong shortwave and associated mid-level warm front will approach the region this morning. In response...the atmosphere will undergo quite an instability burst with the Showalter indices dropping nearly 20 units inside 12 hours. This is often a very strong signal for a cluster of showers and a few embedded thunderstorms along with the potential for localized torrential rainfall. Pwats on the NAM/GFS climb to near 2.25 inches across RI/SE MA today...which is extremely high for this part of the country. In fact...the EPS situational awareness table has those Pwat values outside the model/s climatology for this time of year. In addition...the HREF/s worst case scenario indicates modest probabilities for 6 HR rainfall to exceed the 10 year ARI/s for RI/SE MA. Lastly...the HREF continues to indicate a 30 percent probability for 3"+ of rain inside 3 hours across RI/SE MA. That is often another signal to look for in the potential for flash flooding. Keep in mind though...these are just favorable ingredients and mesoscale factors will determine the outcome. The above ingredients are favorable to produce a narrow swath of torrential rainfall and potentially localized flash flooding...But only if the mesoscale environment cooperates. That is often very hard to forecast even in the near term. In this case...the track of a meso-low and its surface boundary will likely be the main player. If it tracks near the south coast and a surface boundary enhances convergence with the extreme Pwat plume in place...the risk for torrential rainfall and localized flash flooding will increase. Current guidance is still favoring RI/SE MA and especially areas near the south coast at the greatest risk for this occurrence. However...the current state of the science still prevents us to pin an exact area so we can not rule out this risk further north even into the Boston and Worcester metro areas. And this is still only a watch...so if the mesoscale environment does not setup the band of torrential rainfall and localized flash flooding will not occur. Lastly the overall severe weather threat is quite low today given most of the instability will be elevated. However...there is a very low risk for a brief spin-up/waterspout in the vicinity of the mesoscale low and its associated triple point. Again...it is a rather low probability but something we need to watch in these setups. So to sum up...The Flood Watch continues for the BOS-ORH corridor points south and east with the highest risk near the south coast. The potential exists for 2-4" of rain inside 3 hours within the Flood Watch. Outside that region...rainfall amounts of 0.50" to 1.50" seem reasonable. The system itself is fairly progressive...so expect the bulk of the steady showers to come to an end from northwest to southeast roughly between 2 and 4 pm. However...some of the steady activity may linger until 5-6 pm towards the Cape and Islands. A cold front will likely bring a round of brief scattered showers very late tonight into early Mon morning...but not the widespread heavy rainfall we will be dealing with today. KEY MESSAGE 2... Overall the weather looks rather quiet and mainly dry for the upcoming work week with just the risk for a few showers sometime Thu and/or Fri. Seasonable temps Mon and Tue with a brief bout of summer warmth possible Wed and/or Thu ahead of a cold front. Any lingering scattered showers depart the southeast New England coast by mid-morning Monday behind the cold front. Otherwise...high pressure builds back into the region Mon and Tue bringing dry and seasonable weather. High temps will mainly be in the upper 60s to the middle 70s with lows in the 40s and 50s both days. This high pressure system moves east of the region by Wed. This may allow for a brief return of summerlike warmth Wed and/or Thu. Much of the upcoming work week looks dry...but the next cold front may bring a few showers to the region sometime Thu and/or Fri but it does not look significant at this time. && .AVIATION /12Z SUNDAY THROUGH THURSDAY/... Forecaster Confidence Levels... Low - less than 30 percent. Moderate - 30 to 60 percent. High - greater than 60 percent. 12z TAF Update... Today...Moderate confidence. Widespread showers and potentially a few embedded thunderstorms will overspread the region from west to east roughly through 15z. This will result in low-end MVFR to IFR conditions developing with even brief LIFR conditions in narrow bands of torrential rainfall. The bulk of the heaviest showers should be exiting the southeast New England coast by 21z/22z. Winds will be light but changeable in direction with weak boundaries in the vicinity. Some LLWS will be possible at times too. Tonight...Moderate confidence. Lingering MVFR-IFR with localized LIFR will gradually improve from west to east tonight behind a cold front. However...some areas that see low clouds scour out may temporarily fog in before the winds shift to the NW and bring drier air into the region. There also will likely be a brief band of scattered showers associated with the cold front overnight. Light and variable winds will shift to the NW at 5- 10 knots toward daybreak behind the cold front. Monday...High confidence. Any lingering lower cigs across the Cape/Islands should improve to VFR by mid morning. Otherwise...VFR conditions on Monday with sustained NW winds of 10 to 15 knots and gusts of 20 to 25 knots. KBOS Terminal...Moderate confidence in TAF. KBDL Terminal...Moderate confidence in TAF. Outlook /Monday Night through Thursday/... Monday Night through Tuesday: VFR. Breezy. Tuesday Night through Thursday: VFR. && .MARINE... Forecaster Confidence Levels... Low - less than 30 percent. Moderate - 30 to 60 percent. High - greater than 60 percent. Today...High confidence. A warm front will cross the waters today. The main concern for mariners will be heavy showers and potentially a few embedded thunderstorms with reduced visibility. There is a very low probability for a water spout or two mainly across the southern waters. Winds/seas though should remain below small craft advisory thresholds. Tonight and Monday...High confidence. Southwest winds will shift to the northwest overnight and continue from that direction on Monday behind the cold front. Winds may gust to between 20 and 25 knots at times on Monday...perhaps flirting with marginal small craft advisory criteria. Highest risk for small craft wind gusts may actually be Monday night in the cool air advection pattern. We will let the next shift take a look at these potential headlines. Outlook /Monday Night through Thursday/... Monday Night: Low risk for Small Craft Advisory winds with gusts up to 30 kt. Areas of seas approaching 5 ft. Tuesday through Wednesday: Winds less than 25 kt. Areas of seas approaching 5 ft. Wednesday Night: Winds less than 25 kt. Seas locally approaching 5 ft. Thursday: Winds less than 25 kt. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...Flood Watch until 6 PM EDT this evening for CTZ004. MA...Flood Watch until 6 PM EDT this evening for MAZ012-013-015>024. RI...Flood Watch until 6 PM EDT this evening for RIZ001>008. MARINE...None. && DISCUSSION...Frank AVIATION...Frank/Dooley MARINE...Frank
The office that day
Everything else NWS Boston/Norton, MA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 13, 10:59 AM EDT | Flash Flood Warning | BOX | Bristol, Plymouth | 3 hr |
| Sep 13, 2:23 PM EDT | Small Craft Advisory | BOX | 26 hr | |
| Sep 13, 7:09 PM EDT | River Flood Warning | BOX | Kent, Providence | 5 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in Rhode Island, 2026Flash Flood Warnings in Massachusetts, 2026Every flash flood warning in 2026
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.