Areal Flood Watch As of 4:42 am EST on March 13, 2010
... Flood Watch now in effect from this evening through Monday morning...
The Flood Watch is now in effect for
* portions of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire... including the following areas... in Massachusetts... central Middlesex MA... eastern Essex MA... eastern Franklin MA... eastern Hampden MA... eastern Hampshire MA... eastern Norfolk MA... eastern Plymouth MA... northern Bristol MA... northern Middlesex MA... northern Worcester MA... southeast Middlesex MA... southern Bristol MA... southern Plymouth MA... southern Worcester MA... Suffolk MA... western Essex MA... western Franklin MA... western Hampden MA... western Hampshire MA... western Norfolk MA and western Plymouth MA. In southern New Hampshire... Cheshire NH... eastern Hillsborough NH and western and central Hillsborough NH.
* From this evening through Monday morning
* one of the heaviest widespread single storm long duration rain events since Spring 2006 appears imminent... especially for eastern Massachusetts... the east slopes of both the Worcester Hills and berkshire's into parts of Hillsborough County.
* Three to possibly as much as 6 inches of wind swept rain is forecast for eastern Massachusetts to near Nashua New Hampshire with 2 to 4 inches elsewhere in the watch area. There is high probability of rainfall exceeding 4 inches along the Interstate 95 corridor of Massachusetts.
* Urban and poor-drainage flooding will likely make some flood prone roadways impassable. Small streams and rivers will likely respond strongly as well... and could exceed bank-full levels. In addition... due to the saturated grounds... basement flooding could be experienced as well as scattered power outages from uprooted trees in the rain softened ground.
* Runoff from snow melt in the hills is an unknown wild card since temperatures will be just above freezing throughout the storm.
* Rain or mixed precipitation will taper off Monday.
* So while the bulk of the rain will have occurred by Sunday evening... additional rainfall Sunday night and Monday will contribute to further runoff response on the larger rivers.
* For now... there seems to be a moderate to high probability for a repeat episode of the late February flooding but unexpected changes in the amounts will produce differing results.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts.
You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible flood warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.
High Wind Watch As of 4:02 am EST on March 13, 2010
... High wind watch now in effect from 1 PM EST this afternoon through Sunday morning...
The high wind watch is now in effect from 1 PM EST this afternoon through Sunday morning.
Strong east to northeast winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts to near 55 mph are likely to develop late this afternoon or more likely tonight. However... there is potential for stronger wind gusts up to 60 mph across portions of eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
The winds will diminish late Sunday morning but a second round of 45 to 50 mph northeast wind gusts is expected late Sunday night into Monday.
Once forecasters are sure of warning threshold winds... the watch will be converted.
The combination of strong wind and rain softened ground could lead to uprooted trees tonight and long periods of power outages.
Strongest winds should occur in this portion of the watch area between 10 PM tonight and 10 am Sunday.
Precautionary/preparedness actions...
A high wind watch means the potential exists for strong damaging winds to develop in the mentioned areas. These strong winds are capable of Downing trees and power lines as well as causing property damage. If a High Wind Warning is issued... stay inside and away from windows.
Today -
Cloudy. A chance of rain with a slight chance of freezing rain this morning...then rain likely this afternoon. Highs in the mid 40s. Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.
Tonight -
Rain. Patchy fog. Windy. Near steady temperature in the upper 30s. Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
Sunday -
Rain. Patchy fog in the morning. Windy. Near steady temperature in the upper 30s. Northeast winds 20 to 30 mph... diminishing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Gusts up to 45 mph. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
Sunday Night -
Rain. Near steady temperature in the upper 30s. Northeast winds 15 to 20 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph...increasing to 40 mph after midnight. Chance of rain near 100 percent.
Monday -
Rain...mainly in the morning. Blustery with highs in the lower 40s. Northeast winds 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph. Chance of rain 90 percent.
Monday Night -
Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s.
Tuesday through Friday -
Mostly clear. Highs in the mid 50s. Lows in the mid 30s.
Marine Forecasts
Local summary, Wind Speeds and High and Low Tides
Areal Flood Watch As of 4:42 am EST on March 13, 2010
