In Providence County, flooding was reported in the Olneyville section of Providence including routes 6 and 10. Four vehicles stalled out on a flooded roadway in Johnston.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
Low pressure tracking south of New England brought 3 to 4 inches to much of Rhode Island, resulting in significant urban and poor drainage flooding.In Providence County, flooding was reported in the Olneyville section of Providence including routes 6 and 10. Four vehicles stalled out on a flooded roadway in Johnston. In Bristol, significant street and poor drainage flooding was reported by the media in Bristol, while in South Kingstown, flooding affected several roadways on the URI campus. Minor flooding was reported along the mainstem Pawtuxet River. In Cranston, the river crested at 10.4 feet on March 30th, about one foot above its flood stage of 9 feet. No flood damage was reported.
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 28, 6:58 PM EST, 32 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...MESOSCALE UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
655 PM PM EST MON MAR 28 2005
.NEAR TERM (THIS EVENING)...
ONE BAND OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN NW FRANKLIN COUNTY ACROSS
WORCESTER COUNTY TO PYM AREA LIFTING NE...WILL PRODUCE EXTENSIVE
STREET FLOODING GREATER BOS AND NE MA 730 PM TO 9 PM. ANOTHER REGION
OF HEAVY RAIN...EMBEDDED CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS...EXPECTED TO AFFECT NE
CT...ALL OF RI...AND MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SE MA 8 TO 10 PM. THIS AREA
WILL LIKELY BRING NUMEROUS SMALL STREAMS IN FLOOD WARNING AREA OVER
BANKFUL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR FRANKLIN COUNTY...AND FLOOD WARNING MAY
ALSO NEED TO BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE BOSTON AND PORTIONS OF NE MA
LATER THIS EVENING OR OVERNIGHT. SEE FFWBOX...FLOOD WARNING...AND
UPDATED FFABOX...FLOOD WATCH FOR ADDITIONAL DETAIL.
PREVIOUS DISCUSSION FOLLOWS...
.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT AND TUESDAY)...
FAVORING GFS SOLUTION FOR THIS PACKAGE AS PARAMETERS FITTING WELL
WITH CURRENT WEATHER MAP. LOW PRESSURE OVER VIRGINIA TO HEAD NE AND
TRAVERSE ALONG OUR SOUTH COAST TONIGHT.
BASICALLY WITH THIS FORECAST ISSUANCE WILL BE EXTENDING TIME OF
FLOOD WATCH UNTIL NOON ON TUESDAY AND WILL BE ISSUING A WIND
ADVISORY FOR NANTUCKET AND CAPE COD (EASTERN HALF) FOR 6PM THROUGH
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
BASED ON LOCAL STUDY...RAIN EVENT UNDERWAY AHEAD OF LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM APPEARS TO BE BOTH TYPE B (SOUTHEASTERLY WIND AT 1000MB) AND
A TYPE C (EAST/NORTHEASTERLY WIND AT 1000MB). THE SE COMPONENT IS
ONLY A FACTOR FOR SE MASS ACROSS THE COASTAL PLAIN...WHEREAS THE NE
COMPONENT IS OF MORE CONCERN OVER NE MASS BETWEEN 00-06Z TONIGHT
WHEN HEAVIEST RAIN IS FAVORED TO FALL IN THIS LOCATION. OF
PARTICULAR CONCERN FOR A TYPE C EVENT WOULD BE THE LEADING EDGE OF
THE INTERIOR HIGHLANDS IN NE MASS. MANY DYNAMICS COME INTO PLAY SUCH
AS FAVORED 700MB DEFORMATION ZONE MOVING OVERHEAD...EXCELLENT THETA
E ADVECTION COUPLED WITH STRONG 700MB WARM AIR ADVECTION...GOOD
VENTING FROM 500-300MB WHERE THERE EXISTS DIVERGENCE...AND AT LOWEST
LEVELS WIND CONVERGENCE. NORTHEAST WIND COMPONENT CONTINUES THROUGH
12Z TUESDAY COINCIDENT WITH THETA E RIDGING NOSING INTO NE
MASS...AND 850-700MB TROUGH OVER THIS SAME LOCATION. GIVEN ALL
THESE FACTORS WE WILL BE EXTENDING THE FLOOD WATCH UNTIL NOON.
MODEL 24 HOUR QPF GIVES 2 TO 3 INCHES AWAY FROM THE SE COASTAL PLAIN
WITH A BULLS EYE OF NEAR 3 INCHES OVER NE MASS. ALONG THE SE
COASTAL PLAIN...1 TO 2 INCHES 24 HOUR TOTAL. COASTAL FRONT MOVES TO
A BDL-ORH-BVY LINE BY 06Z AND WITH NE WIND TO THE NORTH OF THIS LINE
(AND PATTERN RECOGNITION FROM A SIMILAR EVENT LAST YEAR)...EVEN MORE
CONFIDENCE OF BULLS EYE QPF (WITH ADDED OROGRAPHIC ENHANCEMENT)
AMOUNT OVER ESSEX AND MIDDLESEX COUNTIES MASS. THIS WOULD AFFECT THE
FOLLOWING TRIBUTARIES OF THE MERRIMACK RIVER...THE NASHUA RIVER AT
EAST PEPPERILL AND ASSABET RIVER AT MAYNARD. ALSO OF CONCERN IS THE
BLACKSTONE RIVER AT WOONSOCKET. BUT ALL 3 OF THESE RIVERS NOT
FORECASTED TO CREST ABOVE FLOOD STAGE UNTIL LATE TUESDAY OR EARLY
WEDNESDAY. EVEN MORE REASON TO EXTEND TIMING OF FLOOD WATCH.
FFG VALUES ARE AVERAGE AT 2 TO 3 INCHES IN A 6 OR 12 HOUR PERIOD. AS
COORDINATED WITH NORTHEAST RIVER FORECAST CENTER...ICE JAM FLOODING
IS NOT A CONCERN ON AREA RIVER AND STREAMS.
WILL BE ISSUING A WIND ADIVSORY FOR SE WINDS TO COME UP TO ADVISORY
LEVEL CRITERIA THIS EVENING DUE TO SUSTAINED WINDS (AS OPPOSED TO
GUSTS) FOR NANTUCKET AND EASTERN HALF OF CAPE. BEST CHANCE FOR THIS
IS BETWEEN 6PM AND MIDNIGHT WHEN SE LOW LEVEL JET ALSO MOVES THROUGH.
CONVECTION POTENTIAL...BEST CHANCE APPEARS TO BE 00-06Z SOUTH OF
COASTAL FRONT...SO WILL BE MENTIONING TSTMS IN SOUTH COASTAL ZONES.
&&
.AVIATION...
STRONG LOW LEVEL JET TO MOVE ACROSS SE OF REGION THIS EVENING
BETWEEN 22-06Z GIVING RISE TO LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR BEING MENTIONED
IN BOS/PVD/ORH/HYA/ACK TERMINALS. TSTM POTENTIAL ALSO
EXISTS ALONG SOUTH COAST FOR PVD/HYA/ACK TERMINALS DURING
SAME TIME FRAME. OTHERWISE AN IFR NIGHT AT ALL TERMINALS WITH
IMPROVEMENT TO MVFR BY 18Z TUESDAY.
&&
.LONG TERM (TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH NEXT MONDAY)...
FORECAST AREA DRIES OUT TUE NIGHT THROUGH THU OR THU NIGHT.
TEMPERATURES GENERALLY ABOVE FREEZING EXCEPT FOR PERHAPS A FEW HOURS
LATE TUE NIGHT AND WED NIGHT N OF ROUTE 2. THIS SHOULD ALLOW
CONTINUED SNOW MELT ACROSS MID CT RIVER BASIN AND WHATEVER REMAINS
ACROSS THE LOWER MERRIMACK BASIN...AND MOST LIKELY ACT TO SLOW THE
STREAM FLOW RECESSION. ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO PREVIOUS FORECAST
TEMPERATURES APPEAR NEEDED FOR WED/THU TIMEFRAME.
SECOND RAINFALL EVENT FRI/SAT TIMEFRAME A CONCERN DUE TO COMING JUST
A FEW DAYS AFTER EVENT TONIGHT/TUE MORNING ALONG WITH COMBINED
IMPACT OF RAINFALL AND MELTING SNOW. HIGH AMPLITUDE UPPER TROF TAKES
ON NEGATIVE TILT ORIENTATION AND THEN CLOSES OFF. ECMWF AND GFS
SIMILAR ON LARGE SCALE FEATURES. GFS DEVELOPS 65 KT JET NOSING INTO
S COAST OF NEW ENGLAND ON SAT...AND PROGS SURFACE DEWPOINTS TO 50F
INTO CENTRAL NEW ENGLAND. ALL THIS SUGGESTS POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER
BOUT OF SIGNIFICANT RISES AND POTENTIAL FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AS
WELL AS THE POTENTIAL FOR RIVER FLOODING...WITH CT RIVER VALLEY
POSSIBLY BEING AREA OF GREATEST FOCUS. IF ORIENTATION OF FLOW STAYS
AS CURRENTLY PROGGED BY BOTH GFS AND ECMWF...CT VALLEY COULD SEE
HIGHEST QPF COMBINED WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOW MELT FROM UPPER AND
CENTRAL PORTION OF CT RIVER. AS NOTED IN PRIOR AFD...DEEP SOUTHERLY
FLOW COULD SET THE STAGE FOR TRAINING OF CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS. HAVE
UPPED POPS INTO LIKELY CATEGORY FOR FRI NIGHT/SAT MORNING AND KEPT
QPF THE SAME FROM PRIOR SHIFT.
PER COORDINATION WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES AND EXPECTATION OF CLOUDY
SE FLOW...LOWERED MAX TEMPERATURES FRI A LITTLE. ITS POSSIBLE WE
COULD SEE STEADY OR EVEN RISING TEMPERATURES FRI NIGHT AS FLOW
BECOME MORE SOUTHERLY WITH STRONG WARM AIR ADVECTION. FOR
NOW...HOWEVER...HAVE NOT STRAYED TOO FAR FROM PREVIOUS FORECAST.
&&
.MARINE...
SE WINDS INCREASE THIS EVENING ALONG SOUTH COAST...THEREFORE EITHER
GALES OR SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY CONDITIONS POSTED.
COASTAL FLOODING IS NOT A THREAT DESPITE HIGH TIDES TONIGHT DUE TO
WANING FULL MOON (ON 25TH). WINDS ARE NOT STIFF ENOUTH ON EAST
COAST...BUT MORE OF A CONCERN ALONG SOUTH COAST. EITHER WAY...NO
COASTAL FLOODING EXPECTED AND NOT EVEN CONFIDENT IN SPLASHOVER.
&&
.BOX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
CT...FLOOD WATCH FOR CTZ002>004 FROM NOON MONDAY TO NOON TUESDAY.
MA...FLOOD WATCH FOR MAZ002>021-026 FROM NOON MONDAY TO NOON
TUESDAY.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR MAZ022-024 FROM 6 PM MONDAY TO MIDNIGHT
TUESDAY.
NH...FLOOD WATCH FOR NHZ011-012-015 FROM NOON MONDAY TO NOON
TUESDAY.
RI...FLOOD WATCH FOR RIZ001>007 FROM NOON MONDAY TO NOON TUESDAY.
MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ANZ230 FROM 6 PM TUESDAY TO 6 AM
WEDNESDAY.
...GALE WARNING FOR ANZ231>234-250-254-255 FROM 6 PM MONDAY TO 6
AM TUESDAY.
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FOR ANZ235>237 FROM 6 PM MONDAY TO 6 AM
TUESDAY.
&&
NEAR TERM...RMT
SHORT TERM...KAB
LONG TERM...RMT
AVIATION...KAB
HYDROLOGY...KAB/EVT
FIRE WEATHER...KABHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA 710 PM EST MON MAR 28 2005 CTZ002>004-MAZ002>024-026-NHZ011-012-015-RIZ001>008-291200- 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- 710 PM EST MON MAR 28 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST NEW HAMPSHIRE... MASSACHUSETTS EAST OF BERKSHIRE COUNTY...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT...AND ALL OF RHODE ISLAND. .DAY ONE (TONIGHT)... A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR WINDHAM COUNTY IN NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT...ALL OF RHODE ISLAND EXCEPT BLOCK ISLAND...AND FOR WORCESTER...NORFOLK...BRISTOL AND PLYMOUTH COUNTIES IN MASSACHUSETTS UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY. A FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF THE REGION THROUGH NOON TUESDAY. THE FLOOD WATCH DOES NOT INCLUDE CAPE COD...NANTUCKET...MARTHAS VINEYARD AND BLOCK ISLAND. SMALL STREAM FLOODING IS NOW EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST CONNECTICUT...RHODE ISLAND AND CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS TONIGHT. IN ADDITION...WIDESPREAD STREET FLOODING WILL OCCUR ACROSS MOST OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. MOST LOCATIONS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND WILL RECEIVE 1.5 TO 2.5 INCHES OF RAIN FROM THIS EVENT. SOME LOCATIONS IN RHODE ISLAND AND EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS WILL LIKELY RECEIVE STORM TOTAL RAINFALL OF 2.5 TO 3.5 INCHES. OVERNIGHT...THE FOCUS OF HEAVY RAINFALL MAY SHIFT TOWARD THE GREATER BOSTON AREA AND NORTHEAST MASSACHUSETTS. THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS TO 30 OR 40 KNOTS ARE POSSIBLE TONIGHT ALONG THE SOUTH COASTS OF RHODE ISLAND AND MASSACHUSETTS. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR CAPE COD AND NANTUCKET UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. MINOR COASTAL FLOODING MAY OCCUR NEAR THE TIME OF THE EARLY TUESDAY MORNING HIGH TIDE ALONG THE CAPE AND ISLANDS. ONSHORE WINDS COMBINED WITH 10 TO 15 FOOT SEAS COULD CAUSE MINOR SPLASHOVER IN THE TYPICALLY VULNERABLE LOCATIONS ON SOUTHEAST GALES. A GALE WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR ALL THE OUTER WATERS... CAPE COD BAY...BUZZARDS BAY...NANTUCKET SOUND AND VINEYARD SOUND. .DAY TWO THROUGH SEVEN (TUESDAY THROUGH NEXT MONDAY)... CURRENT FORECAST TRENDS INDICATE THAT SEVERAL OF THE MAIN STEM RIVERS ACROSS THE REGION MAY FLOOD DUE TO THE RUNOFF OF THE HEAVY RAINFALL TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE GREATEST THREAT OF MAIN STEM RIVER FLOODING COULD OCCUR ALONG THE ASSABET...NASHUA AND BLACKSTONE RIVERS DURING TUESDAY...AND SEVERAL LOCATIONS ON THE CONNECTICUT RIVER...INCLUDING HARTFORD AND MIDDLETOWN...MAY FLOOD EARLY WEDNESDAY. THERE MAY BE A PULSE OF GALE FORCE WIND GUSTS IN THE OUTER WATERS TUESDAY NIGHT. THERE IS AN INCREASING RISK FOR ANOTHER 1-3 RAINFALL FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. THIS COMBINED WITH SNOWMELT IN THE INTERIOR NORTHERN BASINS AND RUNOFF FROM THE CURRENT STORM MAY PRODUCE A VERY SIGNIFICANT RIVER FLOOD SITUATION THIS WEEKEND. EARLY INDICATIONS POINT TOWARD THE CONNECTICUT RIVER AND ITS TRIBUTARIES AS A REGION OF SPECIAL CONCERN FOR THIS WEEKEND. EMERGENCY MANAGERS AND ALL PEOPLE WITH INTERESTS ALONG MAIN STEM RIVERS IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND... ESPECIALLY ALONG THE CONNECTICUT...ARE URGED TO MONITOR FORECASTS AND STATEMENTS DURING THE COURSE OF THIS WEEK. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED FOR RAINFALL REPORTS OF 2 INCHES OR GREATER AND ANY REPORTS OF FLOODING TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. SKYWARN AMATEUR RADIO WILL INITIATE OPERATIONS AT THE WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE FOR HYDRO MONITORING AT 6 PM EST. THOMPSON
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Pawtuxet River at Cranston
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Rhode Island in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Rhode Island, March 2005
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: 5444582, 5444583, 5444584, 5444585.