Rhode Island, 2001

Flash Flood and Flood in Rhode Island, March 22 to 24, 2001

March 22 to 24, 2001 · NWS BOX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Minor to moderate flooding occurred along the Blackstone and Pawtuxet Rivers as a result of melting snow and heavy rainfall. 65 feet at 225 am on the 23rd (flood stage is 9 feet).

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
$3.0 million
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.

Minor to moderate flooding occurred along the Blackstone and Pawtuxet Rivers as a result of melting snow and heavy rainfall. Damage was estimated at three million dollars, and affected nearly 1,400 homes and 37 businesses.The Blackstone River at Woonsocket crested at 11.65 feet at 225 am on the 23rd (flood stage is 9 feet). The Pawtuxet River at Cranston crested at 11.36 feet at 615 pm on the 22nd (flood stage is 9 feet).

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 Mar 21, 9:36 PM EST, 8 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 21, 9:36 PM EST, 8 hours 54 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
936 PM EST WED MAR 21 2001

PREVIOUS FCSTS ESSENTIALLY ON TRACK.  MINOR UPDATE FOR ZONES FOR 1ST
PD WORDING.  ALSO INCRSD OVR NGT MIN TEMPS A BIT SE PTN OF FCST AREA
WHERE STG LOW LVL ELY FLO HAS BEEN PUMPING WARMER AIR INTO THE
REGION RESULTING IN STEADY OR SLTLY RISING TEMPS.

THE WSW FOR HVY SNW AND ADVY AREAS STILL LOOK ABT RIGHT.  ON MRGL
SIDE FOR VERY HVY SNW DUMP NW.  SOME AREAS THAT STARTED AS SNW HV
THERE CHGG TO RAIN AS THE STG FLO AT 850 MB FM E HAS WARMED AIR ALF.
COLDEST AIR WL STAY TO NW THEN MOV S AS WND BACK TO MORE NLY THU AS
LOW CONTS MOVG NEWD E OF THE FA.  TILL THAT HAPPENS THE STG ELY 850
MB FLO WL KEEP TEMPS ABV SFC JUST WARM ENUF TO STAY RAIN, EPCLY SE.

MAIN ISSUE CONTS TO BE FLOOD THREAT.  PCPN HAS ALREADY OCNLY MDT-
HVY AT TIMES SPLY ACRS SRN HLF FA.  WITH RAIN CONTG THRU EXPC STM
TOTAL TO EXCEED 3 INCHES AND WITH GND ALREDY VERY WET FLOODING
OF SML STREAMS APPRS LKLY.

.BOX...WINTER STORM WRNG TNGT AND THU MNLY FOR HI TERRAIN
        MA002>004-008>010-NH011-012.
       WINTER WX ADVY TNGT AND THU FOR HI TERRAIN
        MA005-006-011-012.
       WIND ADVY LATE TNGT AND THU MA022>024.
       FLOOD WATCH THU
        CT002>004-MA005>007-011>019-RI001>004-006.
       STORM WRNG ALL WATERS XCPT GALE WRNG BOS HAR/NARR BAY.

DMH

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Flash Flood, Providence

When
March 22, 6:30 AM EST to March 23, 10:15 PM EST
Where
Providence County, Cranston
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Pawtuxet River at Cranston

Flood, Northwest Providence

When
March 22, 12:01 PM EST to March 24, 4:09 AM EST
Where
Northwest Providence forecast zone
Property damage
$3.0 million
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
41.871, -71.579 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blackstone River at Woonsocket

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.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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, March 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: 5238021, 5238020.