After picking up a paltry 4″ of rain in all of June, July and August last year, we’ve certainly turned it around over the last month as the ongoing drought is taking it’s hits. In the last 3 weeks alone, Boston has pick up close to 6″ of rain (including the melted equivalent of snow/sleet). More rain is on the way today, with another 1-1.5″ of water likely in many towns. It’s great seeing all this water early in the Spring, especially on the heels of last years dry Spring and Summer, but now we walk the fine line of getting too much too fast.
The rain today is generally light this morning, and then ramps up in intensity this afternoon. The heaviest rain comes in from 1-8pm, with locally torrential rains and even cracks of thunder. While I don’t expect widespread severe weather, the warmer sector of the storm does nose it’s way into Southeast Mass late today and this evening, and with lots of instability and strong winds aloft, some of those strong winds may come down to the surface late in the day, especially between 5-8pm.
Due to the recent rains and the incoming rains, a flood watch is in effect for all of Southern New England from today, into Friday, as that locally heavy rain this afternoon will create the risk of street flooding. As that water runs off into the rivers and streams, some minor streams and river flooding is possible tonight-Saturday morning. Two rivers that are expected to enter minor flood stage are the Assabet River and the Taunton River. Below are the two flood forecasts for those rivers.
The pattern is slow to break, but does break heading into the weekend. Friday and Saturday are near seasonable with temps in the lower 50s. A few leftover showers are scattered about midday/afternoon on Friday and although an isolated shower is still possible Saturday, it’s just a mostly cloudy day.
More breaks of sun and temps near 60 show up Sunday, and by Monday and Tuesday, Spring is on! Temps run into the 70s. In fact, we may push near 80 Tuesday as long as a backdoor cold front stays to our north. Sometimes this time of year, those fronts are sneaky, hopefully it won’t steal our well deserved warm day away. :-). It will be much cooler across the Cape regardless.
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