36.0° Light Snow Home Government ▼ Community ▼ Emergency Services ▼ COVID-19 Streamed Town meetings Storm Portal atest Atlantic Graphic from NWS Latest from the National Hurricane Center NOAA Daily Briefing Current Weather Watches and Warnings for Washington County, RI The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30. The Atlantic basin includes the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. General Notes (Below) In regards to the Northeast of the US... Chances of intensification are reduced... if these storms remain to the east side of Bermuda and away from the Gulf Stream. In general, "Open Ocean" Hurricanes are negatively influenced by a: Shearing Top Winds, b: Global Weather Fronts and c: Cooler Surface Temperatures (from evaporative formed cloud cover & churning up of deep colder water to the surface) Hurricane Facts (weather.gov) Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (weather.gov) Historical- The 1938 Hurricane The 1938 "Long Island Express" Hurricane hit on September 21st, 1938 Hurricane of 1938 struck with no warning | News | homenewshere.com Want to know more about the 1938 Hurricane ? 1. There is an excellent PBS Documentary and 2. A very good book published in 2004 called "Sudden Sea". (Disclaimer- I am not related to PBS and/or the Author of the Book.) The Path of the Hurricane of '38 | American Experience | Official Site | PBS More Updates on the passing of remnants of Post-Tropical Cyclone IDA To be clear--> Remnants of Tropical Cyclone Ida combined with a Seasonal Storm that was coming across the Nation near the Great Lakes. So what hit the Northeast was really two storms combined into one. (Remember Superstorm Sandy 2012 ... Sandy was actually three large storms combined in one storm) Reminder- When a large amount of rainfall drops.... It will take 1 (one) to 3 (three) days for the main rivers to crest --> as runoff takes time to make it's way down the adjoining brooks, rivulets and streams... to smaller rivers (example Beaver River in Richmond).... which then empty into the larger rivers that empty into the Atlantic Ocean. Do you want to know more about the Beaver River? Click here --> Beaver River – Wood-Pawcatuck Wild and Scenic Rivers (wpwildrivers.org) Thursday 9-02-21... Currently Remnants of Tropical Cyclone Ida exit SNE/Southern New England. Flash Flood warning from Heavy Rainfall has ended (6:30am). Replaced by a Flood Watch due to runoff. Local NWS Trained Weather Spotter in Charlestown reports 5.41" in Rain Gauge overnight from Remnants of Ida. 2nd Charlestown NWS Spotter (Shumankanuc Hill Area) reports 5.54" in Rain Gauge overnight. (9-01-21 thru 9-02-21) Regional Rain Gauge reports coming in from Home (unofficial) Weather Stations: 1/ Upper High Street (Westerly) = 5.75" and 2/ Robin Hills (Westerly) = 6.52". Use caution when driving today, Weakened trees may still come down onto roads or wires. From CHARIHO School District... Richmond Elementary School is closed today due to flooding. Want to know more? General State of Rhode Island Flooding Information click here --> Flooding in Rhode Island (weather.gov) NYC now dealing with a 200 year Flooding event. (One event of this magnitude expected once every 200 years) New Jersey and Connecticut have major flooding issues too. Update below as of 2am Thursday 9-02-21 Click on line below for a dynamic Rainfall Graphic of Northeast U.S. (from the National Weather Service). Tropical Cyclone QPFs (noaa.gov) --> States of Emergency in New York State and New Jersey due to Ida's Flash Flooding. Another tropical storm is named, as Ida brings rain to the northeast / Twitter --> State of Emergency in New York City due to Ida's Flooding ! NYCEM - Notify NYC (@NotifyNYC) / Twitter ( Wednesday 9-01-21 & Thursday 9-02-21)... Remnants of Hurricane Ida passing over SNE/Southern New England. Hurricane Ida pulled a lot of Tropical Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean onto the Continental US. That residual moisture in the form of a tropical depression is now caught up by the seasonal weather patterns and moving across the US heading to eventually exit into the North Atlantic. State and Local Highways crews have worked hard to remove the majority of the green leafy debris from roads and drainage openings. However, Heavy Tropical rain after a Hurricane or Tropical Storm may arrive days after a landfall and wash new debris from the woods into the roadways. Use Caution, if driving through a tropical downpour ! Ponding of water on streets and flash flooding can occur due to the sheer amount of heavy rain occurring in a short time...in a particular location. Check local News and Weather outlets. Predications can be varied. RI Highway Cameras Rhode Island Highway Cameras / South County Click Link Below for Latest NOAA River Gauge Map http://water.weather.gov/ahps/ Below is a recent bulletin from the NWS/National Weather Service. Message: NOAA-NWS-ALERTS-RI1261B79434FC.FlashFloodWatch.1261B7A520A0RI.BOXFFABOX.9aa60713c27fe0e2ab686c252c7d59ab from w-nws.webmaster@noaa.gov Sent: 03:11 EDT on 09-01-2021 Effective: 14:00 EDT on 09-01-2021 Expires: 14:00 EDT on 09-02-2021 Event: Flash Flood Watch Alert: ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON... The Flash Flood Watch continues for * Portions of northern Connecticut, southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including the following areas, in northern Connecticut, Hartford CT, Tolland CT and Windham CT. In southeastern Massachusetts, Barnstable MA, Dukes MA, Eastern Plymouth MA, Nantucket MA, Northern Bristol MA, Southern Bristol MA, Southern Plymouth MA and Western Plymouth MA. In Rhode Island, Block Island RI, Bristol RI, Eastern Kent RI, Newport RI, Northwest Providence RI, Southeast Providence RI, Washington RI and Western Kent RI. * From 2 PM EDT this afternoon through Thursday afternoon. * Widespread 2.50 to 5 inches of rain expected with isolated amounts up to 6 or 7 inches not out of the question. This will bring the potential for rare high impact type of flooding to southern New England. * The potential for very significant urban and small stream flash flooding exists as well as the possibility of significant River Flooding. Some roads may become flooded and impossible with perhaps even few road washouts. While the axis of heaviest rainfall remains uncertain, areas near and south of the Massachusetts turnpike appear to be at greatest risk. Instructions: You should monitor later forecasts and be prepared to take action should Flash Flood Warnings be issued. Target Area: Block Island Bristol Eastern Kent Newport Northwest Providence Southeast Providence Washington Western Kent Forecast Office: NWS Boston (Southeast New England) Below is information from the Weather Channel. Ida to Spread Life-Threatening Flooding Rain and Tornado Threats Into Mid-Atlantic, Northeast Wednesday | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel | weather.com Below are the Updates from 2021 Storm Henri... Arrived as a Hurricane offshore... and Finally Landfalled as a Strong Tropical Storm in Westerly, RI. Locally the storm caused a Large Amount of Moderate Damage ! Same for the other Washington County Communities (Particularly Hopkinton, Charlestown, South Kingstown and Richmond). And with Westerly tucked into the lower left corner of the state... Then, most other communities are by definition on the right side from the Atlantic Ocean, and received stronger wind gusts and coastal surge.. caused by all Tropical Cyclones rotating counter-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere of our planet. (Yes, All Tropical Cyclones in the Southern Hemisphere rotate clockwise.) (If you want to learn more- Look up Coriolis effect.) #7- After Storm Update--> As of 8:30am on Wednesday 8-25-21. Almost Done ! As of 8:30 am Wednesday 8-25-21 --> 0.1 % ( 6 Customers) are still without their electrical power in the Town of Charlestown. And a Total of 101 Customers still out in the Entire State of Rhode Island. #6- After Storm Update--> As of 3:30am on Wednesday 8-25-21. Power Restoration continues. As of 3:30 am Wednesday 8-25-21 --> 2.8 % (158 Customers) are still without their electrical power in the Town of Charlestown. And 458 Customers still out in the State of Rhode Island. #5- After Storm Update--> As of 1:30am on Wednesday 8-25-21. Power Restoration continues. As of 1:30 am Wednesday 8-25-21 --> 5.2 % (309 Customers) are still without their electrical power in the Town of Charlestown. And 744 Customers still out in the State of Rhode Island. I believe that the Governor's push to complete restoration before the Very Hot Weather expected this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday reduced the timeframe from a Historical Guesstimate of a 5-7 day period. KRG #4- After Storm Update--> As of 6 pm on Tuesday 8-24-21. Power Restoration will again continue after the sun sets. National Grid is attempting to get everyone restored before Midnight. This is a lofty goal as remaining locations are closer to the Ocean and/or involve the more difficult repairs or remote locations. Salt Water Spray being wind-driven inland adversely effects Electrical Transformers. Storm Weakened Utility Equipment may work for a few hours/days and then eventually fail... causing a Secondary Outage. As of 6 pm Tuesday 8-24-21 --> 18.8% of Charlestown is still without electrical power. As always in our area, Priority was given to #1- Opening Access for Police, Fire and Ambulance-Rescue Vehicles and then returning as soon as possible for #2 Utility Restoration. #3- After Storm Update--> As of 11 pm on Monday 8-23-21. Power Restoration continues into the night. As of 11:05pm Monday 8-23-21 --> 38% of Charlestown is still without electrical power. Charlestown Emergency Management has been informed by Town Administrator Mark Stankiewicz that Charlestown Residents, Tax Payers and/or Property Owners may take the Leafy Green Debris to the Charlestown Residential Collection Center this Thursday 8-26, Friday 8-27 and/or Saturday 8-28 during regular hours. The Self-Serve Local Water Fill Site is still open 24/7 at The Charlestown Town Hall. North End of parking lot. Please turn off faucet completely when done filling your containers. The Multi-Cable Cell Phone Charging Station is still available this Tuesday , Wednesday, Thursday (8:30am to 4pm) and Friday (8:30am to Noon) at the Charlestown Community/Senior Center. (access Ninigret Park thru back gate off Old Post Road) With Very Hot Weather expected --> and some Residents and/or Renters will possibly be still without power, The Charlestown Community/Senior Center will be open as a Local Cooling Center during regular Hours on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 1/2 Day on Friday this week. (access Ninigret Park thru back gate off Old Post Road) Use caution while driving on Local Streets, Repair Crews may be around corners and some detached branches and/or tree limbs are still falling out of the canopy above the roadway(s). We urge you to make notes now... as there is at least 90 days of the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season that still remains to be seen. We suggest you replenish supplies and correct shortfalls as soon as possible. Large Storms in the Upper Atmosphere can tear holes in the overhead currents as they pass... allowing the next subsequent Tropical Cyclone.... to follow the first like ducks down a river. #2- After Storm Update--> As of 2:30pm on Monday 8-23-21. Heavy Rain is arriving as remnants of Henri move West to East across our area. As of 2:30pm Monday 8-23-21 --> 67.85% of Charlestown is out of power. Cumberland Farms is closed today. No Generator and no gasoline left for sale. A Self-Serve Local Water Fill Site has been set-up at Charlestown Town Hall. North End of parking lot. Please turn off faucet completely when done filling your containers. The Community/Senior Center is open on Generator with regular day hours of 8:30am to 4pm M/T Friday to Noon. Cell Charging Station --> A Multi-Cable Cell Phone Charging Station has been placed at the Charlestown Community/Senior Center. Accessible during regular hours. (Loaner from State EMA - Thank You RIEMA) #1- After Storm Update--> As of 8am on Monday 8-23-21. Heavy Rain expected to return to Charlestown, RI area on Monday Afternoon. Power Restoration in progress. Ninigret Park Staging Site is in use for a county-wide response. As of 6:45am Monday 8-23-21 95.2% of Charlestown is out of power. Landfall occurred nearby in Westerly RI. We were on the bad side of the storm. Note- Local Water Fill sites for water for flushing.... are normally opened on Day 3 after a storm. (If Volunteers are available.) Gasoline is sparse in town. Delivery Dependent. Goes real fast after delivery. Town Beaches are being cleared of debris today. (Monday 8-23-21) It is our understanding that with an approaching 3 day heat wave (Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday) National Grid has assured the Governor of a quick, full restoration by Tuesday Night. We are working up a staffing contingency for Cellular Charging Station sites, if power is not restored in a timely fashion. National Grid is using Ninigret Park as the staging area for power restoration. There are numerous vehicles, equipment & supplies at the park making it inadvisable for resident/visitor activity. Storm Update--> Sunday 8-22-21 at 6:45am Storm Landfall has shifted back towards Charlestown. Looks like Hurricane Henri will pass over Block Island and go inland near us. Looks like all of Sunday 8-22-21 will be windy. Trees, Limbs and Wires will come down. Prepare for Multi-Day Power Outages. Stay Home if you can. Use extreme caution if you must drive. Overview of RI DEM Response to Storm Henri - Press Release issued 8-20-21 Declared State of Emergency for Henri #1. State of Rhode Island declared a State of Emergency (Executive Order 21-88) on August 20,2021 for the Potential Threat of Hurricane Henri. #2 Town of Charlestown also proclaimed a Local Emergency on August 21, 2021 to provide adequate funding for the response to the impending emergency and enhance our chances for any future State or Federal reimbursements. Town Of Charlestown- Pre-Storm Updates at a Glance --> Charlestown, RI Beaches will be closed Sunday 8-22-21 due to Weather/ Henri. --> Charlestown EMA Director Kevin R. Gallup recommends pulling your boat from the Coastal Areas due to the Possibility of High Winds and/or Storm Surge. (Aware that it is inconvenient before Labor Day, However it is probably necessary to prevent damage to it and adjacent property.) --> Evacuations - As of Saturday Afternoon on 8-21-21, Evacuations are unlikely... after review of the current situation. This could change if the Track or the Data changes. --> Shelters #1. As of 7:20pm Saturday Night.... Five (5) Red Cross Shelters are now active around Rhode Island. The nearest one to Charlestown is at the South Kingstown High School, 215 Columbia Street, Wakefield, RI Shelter Supervisor is Shannon Earle. Contact # is 401-524-0373 Open to Charlestown Residents and/or Anyone in need. Doors open at 8pm on Saturday 8-21-21. (Note- RI Shelters often close after a few shifts, if no one shows up. Best to call ahead on Sunday) #2. Note- Covid-19 Pandemic Restrictions make Sheltering very difficult. Consider moving inland to a Relative or Family Friend, if you are in the Immediate Coastal Area. Otherwise prepare to Shelter in Place. Power may be out. "Minimum Basic Recommendation" is 72 Hours of Food and water. Don't forget Pet Food. Information #1. CEMA Hotline 401-218-1968 (9am-5pm) CEMA will give or help you look for Information about Planning & Response to Storm Henri and Information about Covid-19 Testing & Vaccine Availability. #2. Charlestown Police Automated Info Line. 401-213-6960 (24/7) Used for Community Dangers. (Mainly after a large storm or local disaster with info about Road Closures from Wires and/or Trees Down. Also Washed out Culverts and Damaged Bridges, Etc.) RI Highway Cameras Rhode Island Highway Cameras / South County RI Special Needs Registry Link to access form for Rhode Island Special Needs Registry RI 211 Website Get all your State Specific Info from the Rhode Island 211 Website. Hurricane Awareness Flyer for Seniors (Printable) (PDF) Hurricane Readiness Info from CDC (Printable) (PDF) NOAA Hurricane Tracking Chart/ Atlantic Basin (Printable) (PDF ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click Link Below for Latest NOAA River Gauge Map http://water.weather.gov/ahps/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/F7C384CF8C1D --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Official Website of Charlestown, Rhode Island All Rights Reserved 4540 South County Trail, Charlestown RI 02813 Phone: 401-364-1200 Town Hall Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm Site Map Government Websites by GovOffice