Flash Flood, New London
- When
- September 28, 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- New London County, Waterford
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 41.504, -72.101 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Connecticut, September 28, 2001
On Friday, September 28th, a strong upper level low pressure system moved slowly southeast from New York State into southern New Jersey. The dynamics from this strong upper level low, combined with a weak trough of low pressure at the surface moving south, led to the development of slow-moving showers and thunderstorms across portions of southern New England during the afternoon and evening hours.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 1
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 OKX wrote it up.
On Friday, September 28th, a strong upper level low pressure system moved slowly southeast from New York State into southern New Jersey. The dynamics from this strong upper level low, combined with a weak trough of low pressure at the surface moving south, led to the development of slow-moving showers and thunderstorms across portions of southern New England during the afternoon and evening hours. One cluster of heavy showers and thunderstorms remained nearly stationary across portions of south central New London County during the early evening hours. This led to widespread significant street flooding, particularly in the vicinity of Waterford.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 28, 1:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 28, 1:30 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
230 PM EDT FRI SEP 28 2001
MDLS ESPECIALLY THE AVN IS CONSISTANT IN DIGG UPPER TROF SSEWD OVR
FA LT TDY AND TNT. THERMAL TROF ASSOC WITH THE UPR LO...ALONG WITH
DIFFERENTIAL VERTICAL CAA IS DESTABLZG THE ATMSPR ATTM. LUKS LIKE
GUD CHC SHWRS AND SLGT CHC TSTMS THRU 06Z OR SO. MDLS CLOSE AT LEAST
THRU H+30 WITH THE UPR LO TRACK. THEN THEY DIVERGE AND BY H+48 THE
NGM HAS UPR LO FURTHEST TO THE E...IE MOST PROGRESSIVE AND THE AVN
HOLDS IT BACK IE LEAST PROGRESSIVE. ON THE SFC THE AVN TAKES THE
SUBTROPICAL SYSTEM CURRENTLY OFF THE W CST OF FLA...SPINS IT UP AND
TRACKS IT ALONG THE GULF STREAM. THE 996 LO ALONG WITH A 1030 HI
ACRS NY/NENGLND MAKES FOR QUITE A GRADIENT. IF THE AVN VERIFIES WUD
PROBLY NEED GLS. THE ETA KEEPS AN INVERTD TROF OVR FA...WITH A TIGHT
GRADIENT TOO...BUT NOT AS TIGHT. RECENT MDL HISTORY HAS SHOWN THAT
THE AVN PICKD UP HUMBERTO AND THE NGM AND ETA DID NOT. THIS NEXT
SEMI/SUB TROPICAL SYSTEM WL PROBLY BE THERE...BUT NOT AS STG AS THE
AVN WANTS IT. ALSO 12KM MM5 SHOWG EXPLOSIVE CYCLOGENESIS OCCURG S OF
LONG ISL BY H+40. WND FIELD ASSOC WITH IT IS ARND 60 KTS. THE 36 KM
MM5/ETA/AVN AND NGM SHOW NO SUCH XPLOSIVE CG. SO WL NOT FLIP OUT
ABOUT ATTM. WITH THE RATHER WET ETA AND AVN AND THE RATHER DRY NGM
WL OPT TWDS THE ETA ATTM...AT LEAST FOR THE SHORT TERM. MANUAL PROGS
SHOWG LO POPS DAYS 3 TO 5. WL GO AHD AND KEEP CHC POPS RMDR OF TDY
AND TNT...DRY US OUT A BIT ON SAT. BUT RIGHT FOR NOW WL NOT GET
FANCY AND GO GENERIC CHC ON SAT. ON THE XTNDD...THINKG CHC TUE AND
SAT AS WK CDFNT GO THRU.
.OKX...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED ALL WATERS...ANZ350-353-355
ANZ338-335-330 FOR SATURDAY.
WOOLDRIDGEThe radar
The Boston radar (KBOX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:00 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- 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
More
Every storm in Connecticut in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Connecticut, September 2001
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: 5267505.