Heavy Rain, Bristol
- When
- September 10, 7:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Bristol County, Norton
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.757, -71.088 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Massachusetts, September 10 to 11, 1999
A slow moving cold front, combined with a plume of tropical moisture moving in from the south, combined to bring heavy rainfall to much of central and eastern Massachusetts. The heaviest rainfall was centered along the Interstate 495 corridor in Norfolk, Worcester, and Middlesex Counties where totals of 5 to 6 inches were common.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 9
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.
A slow moving cold front, combined with a plume of tropical moisture moving in from the south, combined to bring heavy rainfall to much of central and eastern Massachusetts. The heaviest rainfall was centered along the Interstate 495 corridor in Norfolk, Worcester, and Middlesex Counties where totals of 5 to 6 inches were common. As much as 6.60 inches fell in Franklin. Totals elsewhere generally averaged between 3 and 5 inches.The heavy rain caused significant urban and poor drainage flooding. In Boston, the 4.71 inches of rain which fell set a new daily rainfall record at Logan International Airport. The Central Artery and portions of Morrissey Boulevard and Quincy Shore Drive were submerged under feet of water and shut down. There were numerous reports of flooded homes in Newton, Natick, and Framingham, all in Middlesex County. Portions of Route 9 in Framingham were submerged under feet of water. In Worcester County, the 2.35 inches of rain that fell at Worcester Airport set a new daily rainfall record.
The radar
The Boston radar (KBOX), 22 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:01 UTC.
Event by event
7 heavy rain, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Rain, Essex
- When
- September 10, 7:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Essex County, Manchester
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.639, -70.868 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Hampden
- When
- September 10, 7:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Hampden County, Wilbraham
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.135, -72.632 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Middlesex
- When
- September 10, 7:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, Wayland
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Norfolk
- When
- September 10, 7:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Norfolk County, Franklin
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.171, -71.184 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Suffolk
- When
- September 10, 7:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Suffolk County, (Bos)logan Intl Arpt
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.356, -71.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Rain, Worcester
- When
- September 10, 7:00 AM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Worcester County, Blackstone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.351, -71.908 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Middlesex
- When
- September 10, 6:45 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Middlesex County, Newton
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.486, -71.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Suffolk
- When
- September 10, 11:00 PM EST to September 11, 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Suffolk County, Boston
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 42.356, -71.066 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado and Flood in Oklahoma, September 10, 1999
- Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, September 10, 1999
- Heavy Rain in Maine, September 10 to 11, 1999
- Heavy Rain in New Hampshire, September 10, 1999
- Hail in Kansas, September 10, 1999
- Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in Rhode Island, September 10, 1999
- Heavy Rain in Connecticut, September 10, 1999
- Waterspouts in Ohio, September 10 to 16, 1999
- Wildfire in Oregon, September 10 to 12, 1999
- High Wind in Alaska, September 10, 1999
- Wildfire in Wyoming, September 10 to 11, 1999
- Flood in New York, September 10, 1999
More
Every storm in Massachusetts in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Massachusetts, September 1999
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5722157, 5722158, 5722159, 5722160, 5722161, 5722162, 5722163, 5722165, 5722164.