Ida Bringing Up To 7 Inches Of Rain To Massachusetts: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Wednesday, September 1. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• MassDOT expects Labor Day traffic to begin Thursday and last through the weekend.
• A Swampscott family made a record-breaking donation to the University of Massachusetts.
• More cats were set to travel from Louisiana to Massachusetts on Tuesday as part of the Northeast Animal Shelters of Salem's attempt to adopt pet rescues from the hurricane-ravaged region.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

A statewide flood watch is in effect as the remnants of Hurricane Ida move into Massachusetts Wednesday afternoon and evening. Forecasters are calling for two to five inches of rain overnight in most areas, but some isolated parts of Massachusetts could see as much as seven inches of rain.

That means many residents could start their Thursday pumping out water-logged basements and navigating flooded streets. The good news is that Ida, which is now classified a tropical depression, will only bring some wind and less risk for power outages than Tropical Storm Henri brought to the region last month.

Also on Patch: Woman Stuck With $20K Bill After 2020 Flooding

Like this article? Sign up for our newsletter and get it delivered every weekday. It's free!

Wednesday's Other Top Stories

100 more pets safe in Massachusetts: More cats were set to travel from Louisiana to Massachusetts on Tuesday as part of the Northeast Animal Shelters of Salem's attempt to adopt pet rescues from the hurricane-ravaged region. The partnership of the Northeast Animal Shelter and MSCPA-Angell is bringing the pets from the New Orleans area to help open up spots there for expected surrendered animals there in the wake of the Category 4 storm that made landfall on Sunday.

Labor Day traffic arrives early: MassDOT expects Labor Day traffic to begin Thursday and last through the weekend. The state is taking precautions. All non-emergency construction will cease by 5 a.m. Friday and won't resume until Tuesday. MassDOT will also deploy high-occupancy lanes in the Boston area along I-93 in the early afternoon on Thursday and Friday The state's largest airports, including Logan and Worcester, may also be busy.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

By The Numbers

$50 million: The amount Swampscott residents Robert J. Manning and Donna Manning donated to the University of Massachusetts — the largest donation in the university's history.