Remnants Of Ida Could Drop 6 Inches Of Rain On Rhode Island

NEWPORT, RI — The remnants of Hurricane Ida are expected to hit Rhode Island over the coming hours, dropping as much as half a foot of rainfall in just a few hours. A flash flood warning is in effect statewide from 2 p.m. Wednesday until Thursday afternoon.

The heaviest rain is expected during the late evening and overnight hours. There is the "potential for rare/heavy impact-type flooding," the National Weather Service said, which could wash out roads, flood basements and rapidly raise stream levels. When heading to work or school Thursday warning, be aware of potential road flooding, and never try to drive through water on the street — it could be deeper than it looks, causing vehicles to get stuck or washed away.

Rainfall totals are expected to be between four and six inches statewide, with slightly lower amounts in Block Island.

According to the National Weather Service, the Providence area usually sees about 3.92 inches of rain over the entire month of September, which means we'll likely blow past the average before the end of the first day of the month.

Another way to look at it: The National Severe Storms Laboratory estimated that one inch of rain is equal to about 13 inches of snowfall. If Wednesday's forecast called for temperatures about 50 degrees cooler, the state would have been looking at about six-and-a-half feet of snow, or about three times the accumulation of the Blizzard of '78.