Good afternoon to you all, I have been watching radars, satellites, reading discussions, and examining guidance this Tuesday afternoon, and have also seen Flood Watches expand into CMass, northeast CT, and essentially cover all of the greater WMass region. Given what I am seeing, I am growing more concerned for a moderately-strong to higher-end heavy rain event.

The way this event appears to be unfolding, it would still support some of the higher 3-6” totals I had mentioned previously, (with many areas 1-4” by Thursday) but now it appears that even greater-than-6” amounts are possible in parts of the western high terrain (southern Green Mountains of VT, the Berkshires, the western hilltowns of WMass, the Litchfield Hills in NW.CT) and now even for some of the hilly terrain of northeast CT and the Worcester County highlands given expected moist flow off of the ocean up and over these hills, which wring the precip out more efficiently.

This is combined with warm temps higher up in the atmosphere, which helps produce efficient rain drop production and heavy rainfall.

Many ingredients are in place to produce a strong heavy rain event now, and so if you know you live near “flashy” streams, creeks, small rivers, or if you are in high terrain zones near tributaries, it’s important you are weather aware tonight and tomorrow, and to that effect, I wanted to share this quote/statement from the NWS out of Norton/Boston, MA”

FROM NWS BOSTON:
“To reiterate, if you live in the hillier terrain of the Berkshires (western hilltowns, Litchfield Hills are my additions) or the Worcester Hills, or in an urban / poor drainage areas, this event will bring a significant risk for potentially life-threatening flash flooding. Be sure to have a way of receiving warnings especially at night when some of the heaviest rain likely falls across western Massachusetts.”

I will continue to keep an eye on things, but wanted to alert you to this increase in risk and concern for street flooding and flash flooding in parts of our region through tonight and Wednesday.

Take good care, Dave.