Heavy Rains, Flash Flood Watch Friday for RI

RHODE ISLAND—Much needed rains are coming Friday, but they could get heavy and lead to flash flooding, warns the National Weather Service.

A Flash Flood Watch is in effect beginning 5 a.m. until 9 p.m. Friday for all of Rhode Island. Two to four inches of rain is possible and "significant urban flooding is possible," according to the weather service. Small streams could rise out of their banks and crews will be busy blocking flood-prone streets.

Rain begins in earnest early Friday morning and should last through the day. With the departure will come more comfortable air and a break from the heat wave with a high of 85 on Saturday, according to the weather service.

Most of Rhode Island is currently considered to be in a moderate drought condition, except for Aquidneck Island and Tiverton and Little Compton, which are considered to be "abnormally dry," according to the National Drought Mitigation Center.

The upcoming rain is part of a slow-moving, large weather system floating across the country with focus showers and thunderstorms across New England and the Mid-Atlantic. The system is fueled by abundant moisture in the air, which helps create significant rainfall.

So far, 2016 is shaping up to be a dry year with a growing rainfall deficit dating back several years. The weather station at T.F. Green Airport registered 4.83 inches of rain in June and July, the 37th driest on record (the driest was .99 inches in 1999). But that total was boosted by a couple of thunderstorms that passed right over the airport and the rest of the state's totals were much lower. Consider that it's the driest June and July on record in Boston, at 1.99 inches and the fourth driest on record in Hartford and Worcester.