FLASH FLOOD WATCHES ARE EXTENDED UNTIL 11PM TONIGHT… FLOOD WARNINGS CONTINUE ACROSS PARTS OF OUR REGION… SCROLL TO BOTTOM FOR ACTIVE FLOOD WARNINGS INFORMATION FROM NWS, AS WELL AS FOR THE TEXT OF THE EXTENDED FLASH FLOOD WATCH… SCATTERED SHOWERS FOR OUR SUNDAY, WITH AN INCREASE IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BY MID TO LATE AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING AS THE MID LEVEL LOW SLOWLY TRACKS EAST INTO NEW ENGLAND… MORE FLOODING CONCERNS… SOME STORMS MAY BE STRONG BUT SEVERE THREAT LOW… LIGHTER SHOWERS TOMORROW… MORE SUN TUES INTO WED WITH COLD FRONT BRINGING STORMS AND HOPEFULLY AN END TO OPPRESSIVE HUMIDITY AND EXCESSIVE RAINFALL… DRIER END TO WEEK… 8:25AM SUNDAY…

Good morning everybody, those overnight thunderstorms were brutal, as was just about all of yesterday for many of us, as anywhere from 1-5″ of rain fell, and some areas exceeded 5″ up in northern Franklin County and southwest NH.

We have still-active Flood Warnings (scroll to bottom for where those are located), and we had extreme flooding in Ashford, CT yesterday with a river crest the highest in over 80 years, with the only higher crest being the Hurricane of 1938.

For today, we’re starting off with generally lighter scattered showers, and some areas with no rain currently. Temps are in the 60s, dewpoints are in the 60s, and we’re still in the rain forest for the moment.

For today, highs will only reach the low to mid 70s. As the mid level low slowly tracks east into our region, shower activity will increase during the afternoon, most likely by mid to later afternoon, and thunderstorms and downpours will regenerate as well, though should remain at sub-severe levels.

Regardless, heavy rain is again visiting parts of our area this evening and tonight as copious surface moisture gets lifted skyward by the low aloft, and rung out over us in the form of an additional 1-3″ of rain, which means additional Flash Flood Warnings may be hoisted by tonight, so if you live in flood prone areas, be alert.

Lows tonight will dip into the low to mid 60s with patchy fog possible in spots.

For Monday, the mid level low is tracking east of New England, and while it will be mostly cloudy, and we’ll see some scattered lighter showers, the bulk of the heavy rainfall will be behind us, and I certainly hope that this represents the end of this highly anomalous wet pattern for July, which will no doubt set records for rainiest July at many observing stations since records have been kept when the month is over.

Highs Monday will reach the low to mid 70s again with lows in the low 60s as showers abate.

For Tuesday, we’ll deal with the hottest day of the upcoming week with highs well into the 80s with high humidity and mostly sunny skies into the afternoon, before some scattered instability showers and thunderstorms pulse up and down with the heat of the day. Lows will be in the low to mid 60s.

On Wednesday, we’re hoping that the final cold front will be coming through the region to sweep this messy, rainy, morass of soupy, floody conditions out to sea for at least several days, and hopefully longer.

Highs will reach the the 75-80º range under partly sunny skies, but as the front approaches, scattered showers, downpours and thunderstorms will develop in the afternoon, and some may be strong to severe.

By the nighttime, temps will crash into the 55-60º range and humidity will be lowering.

By Thursday through Saturday, we’re entering a drier period with highs 75-80º and low 55-60º with mostly sunny skies, lower humidity, and much less rain. In fact, Thursday and Saturday look dry and mostly sunny at the moment, and Friday looks similarly though a few showers might be possible in the afternoon.

Just the fact that we MIGHT have a decent chance at 3-days of mostly dry and sunny weather is nice to comtemplate and I hope it comes true, for me and you. #MaryTylerMooreReference

I hope you have a great day, and remember the text from the NWS for the active Flood Warnings and Flash Flood Watches is found below, organized by region.

I will update later should conditions warrant. Thanks for all of your reports and encouragement, Dave

*****ACTIVE FLOOD WARNINGS*****
NORTHERN WMASS
Flood Warning for Small streams in…
–Northern Franklin County in western Massachusetts…
* Until 915 AM EDT.
* At 617 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to
thunderstorms. Flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly in
the warned area. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain have fallen in
the last 3 hours.
* Some locations that will experience flooding include…
Greenfield, Orange, Deerfield, Montague, Northfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Conway, Shelburne, Erving, Ashfield, Colrain, Gill, Charlemont, Wendell, Warwick, Leyden, Heath, Rowe and Hawley.

SOUTHERN WMASS AND NORTHEAST CT
* Flood Warning for Small streams in
–Northeastern Tolland County in northern Connecticut…
–Northwestern Windham County in northern Connecticut
–Southwestern Worcester County in central Massachusetts…
–Southeastern Hampden County in western Massachusetts…
–Southeastern Hampshire County in western Massachusetts…
* Until 930 AM EDT.
* At 622 AM EDT, Gauge reports indicated heavy rain due to
thunderstorms. Flooding is already occurring in the warned area.
* Some locations that will experience flooding include…
Mansfield, Windham, Ludlow, Ellington, Tolland, Belchertown,
Wilbraham, Coventry, Palmer, Stafford, Somers, Ware, Sturbridge, Monson, Woodstock, Willington, Warren, Ashford, West Brookfield and Brimfield.
* Additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches are possible in the
warned area later today.

NORTHWEST CT
* Housatonic River At Falls Village.
* From this morning until further notice.
* At 1:15 AM EDT Sunday the stage was 6.3 feet.
* Flood stage is 7.0 feet.
* Minor flooding is forecast.
* Forecast…The river is expected to rise above flood stage this
morning and continue rising to a crest of 8.8 feet early tomorrow
afternoon.
* Impact…At 9.0 feet, water floods Riverside Road at Kent School
and begins to approach buildings. Water gets close to Route 7.
* Flood History…This crest compares to a previous crest of 8.8
feet on 06/15/2013.

Housatonic River At Gaylordsville.
* From this morning until further notice.
* At 1:00 AM EDT Sunday the stage was 7.0 feet.
* Flood stage is 8.0 feet.
* Minor flooding is forecast.
* Forecast…The river is expected to rise above flood stage this
morning and continue rising to a crest of 8.8 feet just after
midnight tonight.
* Impact…At 9.5 feet, the water reaches businesses on the low side
of Spring Street.
* Flood History…This crest compares to a previous crest of 8.8
feet on 04/11/2001.

SOUTHWEST NH
* Flood Warning for Small stream in…
–Southern Cheshire County in southern New Hampshire…
* Until 1215 PM EDT.
* At 626 AM EDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicate the between 2 and 5 inches of rain have fallen across the region overnight. While rainfall is diminishing, some small streams and rivers may rise over their banks through this morning.
* Some locations that will experience flooding include…
Keene, Jaffrey, Swanzey, Peterborough, Rindge, New Boston,
Winchester, Marlborough, Fitzwilliam, and Greenfield.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 11PM
* Portions of northern Connecticut and Massachusetts, including the following areas, in northern Connecticut, Hartford CT, Tolland CT and Windham CT. In Massachusetts, Eastern Franklin MA, Eastern Hampden MA, Eastern Hampshire MA, Northern Worcester MA, Southern Worcester MA, Western Franklin MA, Western Hampden MA and Western Hampshire MA.

* Watch has been extended as another round of showers and
thunderstorms will bring rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches this
afternoon and tonight with locally higher amounts possible.

* The ground remains wet from recent rainfall and the additional
heavy rainfall this afternoon and tonight may cause rapid flooding of urban areas and small streams.