Areas around the South Coast of Massachusetts were hit Monday night into Tuesday with flooding rain, though drought conditions persist across the state.
“The Mashpee Rotary was flooded and not passable, and the Newport area and Fall River, same thing – some flooded roads, roads closed in East Sandwich, Wellfleet, Truro,” said National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Frank Nocera. “On the positive note, we know we’re in a drought, so the rain was welcomed. Wish it was more spread out, not over a short period of time, but nature doesn’t care.”
Massachusetts was hit with a “large range of rainfall” later Monday into early Tuesday, Nocera said. Logan Airport in Boston saw only about two tenths of an inch of rain, while towns across Cape Cod and the South Coast saw as much as three to four inches.
NWS issued a flash flood warning around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, warning residents to move to higher ground and not walk or drive in flood waters, covering the South Coast and Cape and Islands. New Bedford and Fall River, as well as Newport and Tiverton, Rhode Island, reported incidents of flash flooding from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., according to NWS reports.
“They were in that heavier band of rain that we had last night with those plumber storms that came across the South Coast, so heavy rain was really confined to that area,” Nocera said.
In early June, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs declared a significant drought in the Southeast, Cape Cod, and Islands regions following “two years of below-average rainfall and declining streamflow and groundwater across the state, signaling worsening drought conditions and increasing stress on local water supplies.”
The northeast region of the state remained in a critical drought, while the Connecticut River Valley and central regions continued significant drought conditions and western Massachusetts remained in a mild drought, according to the state drought status.
Despite the brief heavy rainfall, much more will be needed to help ease the drought in the region.
“It took us several months to get into this drought,” said Nocera. “We’ve had below normal rainfall, March, April, May, now June, so it’s going to take several months of above normal rainfall to get out of this. Every little bit helps, but just to put it in perspective, we’re not going to get out of this drought in a week.”
While people should “take it serious and you know not waste water, conserve water” in areas of severe drought, Nocera said, drought conditions are part of Massachusetts’s climatology almost every summer.
The state only received between 1-3 inches of rain in May, which was 1.3 to 3 inches below normal, according to EEA data. The Berkshires, southeastern part of the state, and Cape Cod and Islands saw the most precipitation deficits last month.
Residents in all drought areas are encouraged to minimize water use, according to state guidance. Those in significant drought conditions are also recommended to follow local water use restrictions, fix indoor leaks and conduct water audits in large buildings and businesses.
For residents in critical drought areas, state officials recommend taking more aggressive steps, including stopping non-essential outdoor watering, checking for and fixing any toilet or faucet leaks immediately, conducting regular inspections of all pipes and fixtures, using dishwashers rather than handwashing, using water-efficient fixtures and more.
Following the early week rain, Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be drier, according to NWS forecasts.
“Then we have a chance of showers and thunderstorms Thursday night into Friday,” said Nocera. “Could have some showers around on Saturday, but I think overall Saturday is looking pretty good. And Sunday is even a nicer day. So really the next chance for wet weather is Thursday night into Friday, especially Friday morning.”
