Dim sunshine was the order for Friday afternoon, although clouds were thickest south of Boston where rain bands were trying to come on shore. Here’s what you should expect from the coming storm, as of Friday afternoon.
Overnight tonight, there will be more rain trying to move northward. It will probably rain in the greater Boston area, and perhaps Metro West, but is likely not significantly to penetrate further west.
Low pressure off the mid-Atlantic coastline will continue to spin through the weekend. On this particular track, we will be on the northern side of the storm with our winds coming from the north and northeast. There are storm warnings for the waters off the coastline and a high wind warning for the actual Coast with wind advisories further inland.
There are coastal flood watches and warnings for parts of New England. East- and northeasterly-facing beaches will be most susceptible to be corrosion during this nor’easter
For the most part, this is just a nuisance event, but the one part of the storm that is likely to be the most significant will be total rainfall. In addition to all the water, the constant wind beating at the trees is likely to produce scattered power outages over time. This should not be widespread for most of the area, although in Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the islands, where the winds will be particularly strong Saturday into Saturday night, there could be more widespread power outages. at least temporarily.
Because we’re on the Northern side, we’re going to have a fetch of moisture coming in off the water from Friday evening all the way through Monday.
Most areas are going to see anywhere from one to three inches of rain, which is definitely manageable. But there’s likely to be a pocket of even heavier rain somewhere in Southern New England or toward New York City where three to six inches of rain falls. In those areas, there’s likely to be some urban street flooding.
It’s not out of the question that this heavy pocket of rain ends up between Boston and Bridgeport, Connecticut along the coast. There may also be some other enhancement of rainfall on Sunday due to orographic lifting the hills to the West.
I would spend a little time checking sump pumps and gutters if you are susceptible to water getting into your house during heavy rain events.
Temperatures during the evening will be in the lower 60s, falling back to the mid-50s at night — a very small difference (what we call diurnal range) because of all the cloud cover.
For those of you that are north and west of Route 495, there will be even less rain and as a matter of fact, parts of Central and Western Massachusetts could actually get through parts of Saturday without much rainfall at the same time it’s pouring over the Cape and the islands and Southeastern Massachusetts.
It’ll depend on exactly where you are as to what you’re experiencing on Saturday. Sunday is probably the wettest day with the heaviest rainfall, and that’s where it will likely pinwheel even further west.
There could be the rumble of thunder Sunday and into Sunday night which would enhance the torrential rain at that time. Monday the rain will taper off to showers but we won’t start to really clear out until later Tuesday and it may take until Wednesday for some areas as the center of the storm just kind of spins itself out south of the area.
The good news? Temperatures of near or above 70 degrees by Wednesday and Thursday, for a return to a great stretch.
Emergency preparations in Boston and beyond
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu issued a coastal storm warning for the city beginning on Friday, and lasting through Sunday.
“If you are able, just get that flashlight ready, have batteries, first aid supplies, know where your personal documents are and whatever you and your family might need,” said Mayor Michelle Wu during a press conference on Friday. “Move your valuables to somewhere safe and you can document them through photo or video in case you need to file an insurance claim from flooding.”
Wu said the Boston Water and Sewer Commission has already sent out crews to start clearing out roughly 30,000 catch basins across the city to help prevent flooding.
“As the rain comes down, that water will be able to go through. That will help minimize flooding,” she said. “If you see something blocking them, just help us make sure they’re clear, especially as the leaves are coming down from some of the trees. That will go a long way and prevent the flooding that we can.”
Chase Berkeley, chief of operations at the Boston Water & Sewer Commission, said they’re “monitoring known flood-prone locations and will deploy crews as conditions develop to address drainage issues and flooding.”
“We have additional personnel and equipment available to respond to water main breaks, sewer backups, flooding, and any other emergency that may arise,” he said.
The city is also urging residents to stay off the roads during the storm and to take public transit if they need to leave their homes.
“If you absolutely need to be on the roads, do so with caution and pay extra attention for pedestrians, commuters and other vehicles,” said Wu. “If you see floodwaters, even if it doesn’t look that deep, please try to avoid going in it, wading, swimming and driving.”
City officials warn that going into floodwaters can increase the risk of injury from debris, electrocution from downed wires and exposure to harmful chemicals or pathogens potentially carried by floodwaters.
Kyron Owens, communication director for the city’s Office of Emergency Management, said high winds are one of the major concerns for the storm.
“Bring inside or secure loose items outside of your home. Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Power outages are possible,” he said. “To prepare for this, charge your devices, sign up for updates from your utility company.”
Downed trees, roadway flooding and sewer backups can be reported by calling 311 directly, and through the 311 app.
Residents should also stay away from downed power lines and to report them to 911 immediately.
Boston Commissioner of Parks and Recreation Diana Fernandez Bibeau said both contracted and in-house tree crews will be on duty throughout the storm to respond to any downed trees.
“Priority is going to be given to trees that are blocking streets, and we will also coordinate closely with our first responders to keep roadways open and accessible,” she said. “Following the storm, our crews will be at all of our parks cleaning up and restoring our parks to a state of good repair that our residents expect.”
Boston residents can sign up to receive updates in 11 languages through the city’s emergency mass notification system, AlertBoston, by phone, text, or email. Residents are also encouraged to learn more about their flood risk at boston.gov/flood.
In New Bedford, city spokesman Jack Thuon says a decision will be made soon on whether to close their harbor’s hurricane barrier that protects against flooding.
“Right now the Army Corps of Engineers is planning on fully staffing the hurricane barrier here in New Bedford, and they have ultimate authority on if the barrier is closed,” he said.
Marilyn Schairer contributed to this story.
