In the wake of the deluge that tapered off by mid morning, the 2-4″ of rain dropped on our area providing plenty of flooding issues to go around as sump pumps are working overtime, backyards look more like mini lakes in spots and roadways in some cases were closed off earlier in the day. The hardest hit areas were across southern Bristol County, such as Fall River and New Bedford, and then into much of Rhode Island where up to 5″+ fell in that state. Although the intensity of the rain slackened quite a bit by mid to late morning, it was still a dreary day, and a good one to watch a movie. Ironically, Noah is the box office hit these days.
Showers and drizzle continue tonight, and at times, heavier rain falls in these scattered showers. I don’t expect nearly as much rain as what fell last night, but some towns may add another 0.25-0.50″. Another thing to watch is how much cold air starts to seep into this system. Overnight, enough of it may allow for some freezing rain/sleet to mix in northwest of Boston, especially over the higher terrain of Worcester County. As the atmosphere gets colder, even some flakes may mix in by Monday. It’s not a perfect set-up for snow, but very narrow bands of snow have formed over Upstate NY and PA this afternoon thanks to intense precip allowing the atmosphere to cool below freezing from top to bottom, if we catch one of these narrow bands tomorrow, a few towns may see a quick burst of wet snow, allowing for minor accumulation on the grass and car tops. The highest chance for that will be northwest of Boston, especially across the hilly terrain of Worcester County, but I can’t rule it out farther east as well. When the precipitation is light, it falls as drizzle, light rain and perhaps some sleet pellets.
Despite the heaviest rain being behind us, rivers continue to rise across the state, and a few may go into minor flood stage Monday. One such river is the Assabet that expected to crest just above flood stage.
In terms of the coastal communities… astronomical higher tides and minor storm surges will lead to minor coastal flooding and beach erosion over the next few high tides. Winds are active out of the north tonight along the shoreline, gusting 30-40mph.
This storm is slow to wobble off to our east, but does so by Tuesday, allowing for nicer weather and some sunshine by the afternoon.
It’s a rather quiet stretch for a few days, even into Friday, as it appears high pressure holds off any rain until Friday night. All week, the coolest temps are felt along the coast, and for opening day at Fenway, I’d plan on dry weather and temps in the mid 40s.