New Hampshire, 2020

Flash Flood in New Hampshire, July 8, 2020

July 8, 2020 · NWS GYX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An upper level disturbance moving in from the northwest coupled with a very moist air mass over New Hampshire where dewpoint temperatures rose to around 70 degrees. This allowed for strong instability with strong thunderstorm development.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

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 GYX wrote it up.

An upper level disturbance moving in from the northwest coupled with a very moist air mass over New Hampshire where dewpoint temperatures rose to around 70 degrees. This allowed for strong instability with strong thunderstorm development. Excessive rainfall rates allowed for localized flash flooding in urban areas.

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 Gray, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 8, 2:10 PM EST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 2:10 PM EST, 1 hour 59 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 8, 2:10 PM EST, 1 hour 59 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 8, 3:54 PM EST, 15 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 8, 3:56 PM EST, 13 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 8, 3:57 PM EST, 12 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 8, 4:02 PM EST, 7 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 8, 4:04 PM EST, 5 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 8, 4:09 PM EST, 0 minutes before
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The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 145 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Cheshire

When
July 8, 4:09 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Cheshire County, 1.43 mi WNW of Keene to 1.41 mi WNW of Keene
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
42.939, -72.305

Multiple thunderstorms dropped 3 to 5.5 inches of rain in about 3 hours causing flooding at the intersection of Park Avenue and Arch St. in Keene, New Hampshire. Up to 3 feet of standing water.

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 New Hampshire in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in New Hampshire, July 2020

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 914005.