Rhode Island, 2001

Flash Flood and Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, June 17, 2001

June 17, 2001 · NWS BOX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Torrential rainfall associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison resulted in flash flooding throughout Providence County. In Foster, two roads were washed out when runoff carved gulches into the roadways.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$150,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

Torrential rainfall associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Allison resulted in flash flooding throughout Providence County. In Foster, two roads were washed out when runoff carved gulches into the roadways. In Woonsocket, the foundations of two buildings were washed out. Several roads in Providence and Coventry were either flooded or washed out as well. Storm totals of 3 to 6 inches were common throughout northern Rhode Island, with as much as 7.10 inches in North Smithfield. Lightning struck a log house in Foster which ignited a fire, and completely destroyed the home.

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 Boston/Norton, MA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 17, 11:28 AM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 17, 11:28 AM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
1145 AM EDT SUN JUN 17 2001

UPDATED FCST TO CLEAN UP WORDING.  NO OTHER CHANGES.

RAINFALL AMTS GENERALLY ISOLATED 2 TO 3 INCHES CAUSING SOME STREET
FLOODING AND A FEW STEAMS REACHING BANKFULL OR SLIGHTLY OVER.

THE BULK OF THE ACTIVITY SEEMS TO BE SHIFTING EAST.  THE TROF RUNS
FROM ABT PSM TO FOK WITH THE COLD FRONT AND CLEARING LINE BACK
AROUND THE HUDSON VALLEY.  THE TROPICAL AIR MASS WITH THE LOW OFF
NJ IS MOVING MORE EAST THAN NORTH...GENERALLY PASSING OFF ACK THIS
EVENING.

.BOX...SCA TDA S CST.  SCA MAY BE REQ TNGT E CST.

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Providence

When
June 17, 12:40 PM EST
Where
Providence County, Foster
Property damage
$150,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Providence

When
June 17, 3:52 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
Where
Providence County, Foster
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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 Rhode Island in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, June 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: 5250305, 5250304.