July 9, 2023

Widespread flash flooding possible in New England through Tuesday


A pretty serious flooding situation could develop over much of New England over the next couple of days as a deep reserve of tropical moisture fuels persistent heavy rains throughout the region.

The Weather Prediction Center issued a moderate risk for excessive rainfall across most of interior New England today and tomorrow, with the best chance for flash flooding across New York's Hudson Valley and just about all of Vermont and New Hampshire.

An upper-level low swinging over the region will pull in plenty of moisture from the south. This disturbance will spark widespread showers and thunderstorms, which will easily tap into that vast reservoir of tropical moisture aloft to produce very heavy rainfall.

Source: WPC

Forecasters expect 5-7 inches of rain to fall across this area, much of which may fall in a relatively short period of time. Rainfall rates should easily exceed flash flood thresholds, pushing waterways beyond their limits and likely exceeding the capacity for storm sewers to handle the runoff.

The region's rugged terrain makes flash flooding and landslides a particularly dangerous hazard. Road washouts are likely in areas hit by flooding. Use extreme caution if you're in the area over the next couple of days. It only takes a few inches of moving water to lift a vehicle and carry it downstream.

The risk for road washouts enhances the potential that there may not even be a road anymore beneath the moving waters. It's impossible to tell how deep the water is—or if the road is even still there—before it's too late.


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I graduated from the University of South Alabama in 2014 with a degree in political science and a minor in meteorology. I contribute to The Weather Network as a digital writer, and I've written for Forbes, the Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang, Popular Science, Mental Floss, and Gawker's The Vane. My latest book, The Skies Above, is now available. My first book, The Extreme Weather Survival Manual, arrived in October 2015.

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