Fears Of Flooding In MA With More Heavy Rain Expected

MASSACHUSETTS — Following heavy rain over the weekend, Massachusetts is in for more downpours beginning Wednesday, sparking concerns about localized flooding.

Many communities across the state received more than 2 inches of rain during storms on Saturday, and Wellesley even measured more than 4 inches, according to the National Weather Service. The rain will return to the already-soaked state starting Wednesday night, although daytime hours will likely only be cloudy in eastern Massachusetts.

“Scattered rain on Wednesday will become widespread and heavier Wednesday night through Thursday night, potentially renewing flooding concerns,” the National Weather Service said this week.

In an updated forecast Tuesday, the weather service predicted rain may continue through Thursday and into Friday morning. Up to 3 inches of new rain may fall over the roughly 48 hours between Wednesday night and Friday afternoon, according to the forecast. If necessary, the weather service may being issuing flood watches for the region.

"With several rivers in [southeastern MA and RI] already in flood stage, additional rainfall of this magnitude may prolong or exacerbate ongoing flooding. There is still a fair amount of uncertainty in the forecast given the dynamic nature of the system, but the ensemble probabilities alone are enough to raise some concerns for the end of the week," the forecast continued.

The good news: the Easter holiday weekend looks dry with sunshine, although temperatures will only be in the 40s or low 50s with strong breezes up to 30 mph.