A second round of heavy rainfall caused flooding on the Blackstone and Pawtuxet Rivers. Totals of 2 to 4 inches, combined with similar amounts just the week before, resulted in minor flooding along the Blackstone River and moderate flooding along the Pawtuxet.
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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.
The episode as NWS BOX wrote it up.
A second round of heavy rainfall caused flooding on the Blackstone and Pawtuxet Rivers. Totals of 2 to 4 inches, combined with similar amounts just the week before, resulted in minor flooding along the Blackstone River and moderate flooding along the Pawtuxet. No significant damage was reported, though many roadways in low lying areas were closed due to flooding.The Blackstone River at Woonsocket crested at 9.25 feet at 730 pm EDT on April 14. Flood stage is 9 feet. The Pawtuxet River at Cranston crested at 11.8 feet at 745 am EDT on April 15. Flood stage is 9 feet.
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 Apr 14, 3:40 AM EST, 2 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 440 AM EDT WED APR 14 2004 .SHORT TERM... TODAY AND TONIGHT. EXPECT TWO BATCHES OF RAIN TO DEVELOP TO AFFECT THE COUNTY WARNING AREA TODAY. THE FIRST WAVE OF PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE UP ALONG THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF THE COUNTY WARNING AREA THIS MORNING AND INTO THIS AFTERNOON. THE SECOND BATCH WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE COLD FRONT ACROSS OUR WESTERN ZONES WITH THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT. SHOWALTER INDICES REMAIN AROUND 1 SO WILL CONTINUE TO MENTION A SLIGHT CHANCE OF A THUNDERSTORM. HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE VERY TRICKY TODAY. A WARM FRONT SURGED NORTH OVERNIGHT...SENDING A GOOD CHUNK OF THE REGION INTO THE UPPER 50S AND LOWER 60S. HOWEVER...WIND GRADIENT WILL WEAKEN ALONG THE EASTERN MA COAST TODAY SO COULD SEE TEMPERATURES FALL IN THE AFTERNOON ACROSS THOSE LOCATIONS. SHOWERS SHOULD GRADUALLY DECREASE IN AREAL COVERAGE OVERNIGHT AS THE MODELS ALL DEPICT THE MID LEVEL FORCING WEAKENING. HOWEVER...THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS STILL TO OUR WEST SO STILL EXPECT THERE TO BE SHOWERS AROUND. && .MARINE... WILL CONTINUE WITH SCA ADVISORIES ACROSS ALL WATERS TODAY AS WINDS ARE CURRENTLY GUSTING TO 25 KT. SCA WILL CONTINUE OVERNIGHT FOR HIGH SEAS OVER THE OPEN WATERS. WINDS SHOULD ALSO PICKUP AGAIN TOWARDS DAYBREAK OVER THE NORTHERN SECTIONS IN RESPONSE TO THE COLDER AIR MOVING DOWN FROM THE NORTH. WINDS AND SEAS STAY UP NEAR AND ABOVE SCA THURSDAY THRU TUESDAY IN THE OPEN WATERS. PROTECTED WATERS SHOW WINDS DIMINISHING FRIDAY...PICKING UP AGAIN SATURDAY AFTERNOON. SEAS RESPOND ACCORDINGLY. && .AVIATION... LOW CLOUDS AND PATCHY FOG WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION THROUGH THE NIGHT. CEILINGS GENERALLY WILL BE BETWEEN 500 AND 1500 FEET THROUGH THE EVENING WITH VISIBILITIES VARYING GENERALLY BETWEEN 2 AND 5 MILES. HOWEVER...LOCALLY THE WILL BE REDUCED BELOW ONE HALF MILE OVER PORTIONS OF THE SOUTH COAST AND CAPE. && .HYDROLOGY... WILL CONTINUE THE FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH SEVERAL RIVERS APPROACHING BANKFUL AND INTO MINOR FLOOD. WE ARE WATCHING THE BLACKSTONE RIVER AT WOONSOCKET AND BLACKSTONE TO APPROACH FLOOD STAGE. FLOOD WARNINGS ARE POSTED FOR THE SUDBURY RIVER AT SAXONVILLE AND FOR THE PAWTUXET RIVER AT CRANSTON. GENERALLY EXPECT ANOTHER HALF INCH TO 1 INCH OF RAIN ACROSS RHODE ISLAND...SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS AND CAPE COD WITH THIS NEXT BATH OF PRECIPITATION. LIKE WE SAW TODAY THOUGH...THERE WILL BE LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS EMBEDDED IN THE RAINFALL ESPECIALLY IF EMBEDDED CONVECTION CAN DEVELOP. && .LONG TERM... THURSDAY THRU TUESDAY... THERE IS LITTLE REASON TO MAKE CHANGES TO FCST IN THE LONGER RANGE. AS THE UPPER LOW SWINGS OUT OF THE AREA THURSDAY...THERE IS STILL A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. HOWEVER CLEARING MOVES IN FROM THE WEST BY LATE THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE AREA FOR FRIDAY AND INTO SATURDAY. THEN A FRONTAL SYSTEM MOVING OUT OF CANADA STALLS ACROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND. AT LEAST THE GFS HAS PAINTED THIS PICTURE FOR THE LAST THREE RUNS AT LEAST. LOW PRESSURE MOVING OUT OF THE ROCKIES AND SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES REGION LATE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY...AND THE LATEST GFS PUTS THE TRACK INTO SOUTHERN QUEBEC. THIS WILL CONTINUE THE FAIR AND MILD WEATHER. WILL LEAVE THE MILD TEMPS FOR MONDAY INTO TUESDAY BEFORE THE COLD FROPA ON TUESDAY. && .BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CT...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING. MA...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING EXCEPT THE CAPE AND ISLANDS. NH...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING. RI...FLOOD WATCH THROUGH THIS EVENING. MARINE...SCA ALL ZONES.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 606 AM EDT WED APR 14 2004 CTZ002>004-MAZ002>024-026-NHZ011-012-015-RIZ001>008-151030- BARNSTABLE MA-BLOCK ISLAND RI-BRISTOL RI-CENTRAL MIDDLESEX MA- CHESHIRE NH-DUKES MA-EASTERN ESSEX MA-EASTERN FRANKLIN MA- EASTERN HAMPDEN MA-EASTERN HAMPSHIRE MA-EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH NH- EASTERN KENT RI-EASTERN NORFOLK MA-EASTERN PLYMOUTH MA-HARTFORD CT- NANTUCKET MA-NEWPORT RI-NORTHERN BRISTOL MA-NORTHERN WORCESTER MA- NORTHWEST MIDDLESEX MA-NORTHWEST PROVIDENCE RI- SOUTHEAST MIDDLESEX MA-SOUTHEAST PROVIDENCE RI-SOUTHERN BRISTOL MA- SOUTHERN PLYMOUTH MA-SOUTHERN WORCESTER MA-SUFFOLK MA-TOLLAND CT- WASHINGTON RI-WESTERN AND CENTRAL HILLSBOROUGH NH-WESTERN ESSEX MA- WESTERN FRANKLIN MA-WESTERN HAMPDEN MA-WESTERN HAMPSHIRE MA- WESTERN KENT RI-WESTERN NORFOLK MA-WESTERN PLYMOUTH MA-WINDHAM CT- 606 AM EDT WED APR 14 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT...MASSACHUSETTS EAST OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY...SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE AND ALL OF RHODE ISLAND. .DAY ONE (TODAY AND TONIGHT)... A HALF TO ONE INCH OF ADDITIONAL RAIN IS EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT. THESE RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE MORE LIKELY OVER SOUTHEASTERN AREAS...WITH LESSER AMOUNTS TO THE NORTH AND WEST. SEVERAL RIVERS ARE NEAR OR IN FLOOD. STATEMENTS AND WARNING HAVE BEEN ISSUED. IN ADDITION SOME POOR DRAINAGE...STREAM AND SMALL RIVERS FLOODING IS POSSIBLE. A FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES TODAY. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS MORNING AND THIS AFTERNOON. AREAS OF FOG ARE REDUCING VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN A HALF MILE... ESPECIALLY ALONG THE SOUTH COAST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN (THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)... AS THE SYSTEM MOVES OUT TO SEA THURSDAY...A FEW LINGERING SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE. HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FOR FRIDAY...THE WEEKEND AND THE FIRST PART OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES COULD REACH THE 60S...POSSIBLY TOUCHING 70 IN PARTS OF THE AREA MONDAY AS WINDS BECOME WEST TO SOUTHWEST. A FRONTAL SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO BE STATIONARY ACROSS NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND SUNDAY AND MONDAY. AT THIS TIME THERE IS ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT THIS FRONT COULD MOVE SOUTH...CAUSING OUR WINDS TO SHIFT INTO THE EAST BRINGING IN COOL AND DAMP WEATHER OFF THE OCEAN. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS WHO MEASURE STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF MORE THAN TWO INCHES... OR WHO WITNESS RIVERS AND STREAMS OVERFLOWING THEIR BANKS...ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT THEIR AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. THIS PRODUCT CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEB SITE...WWW.WEATHER.GOV/ER/BOX
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Pawtuxet River at Cranston
Blackstone River at Woonsocket
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Rhode Island in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, April 2004
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: 5391050, 5391051.