It seems like just about everyone enjoys talking about the weather. This is certainly the case in New England, and it’s especially true this year. Undoubtedly, the word that’s being used to describe 2013 New England weather is wet.
2013: Wet and Wild
The remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea spilling multiple inches of rain over much of southern New England in early June has been the featured weather topic of the summer. A quick glance at some of the rainfall totals recorded in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut during that storm is quite revealing.
Cars drive through flooded streets in southeastern Massachusetts.
For instance, the town of Gales Ferry, Connecticut unofficially recorded an amazing 6.64 inches of rain from June 6-8. Andover clocked in with 5.3 inches of rain, while the Windham County towns of Thompson and Canterbury posted totals of 4.8 and 4.75 inches, respectively.
A reported 4.69 inches of rain fell during the same period in the capital of Rhode Island. But Providence’s totals were exceeded by trained weather spotter reports from Charleston (with a total of 5.32 inches) and Westerly (at an even five inches).
As for Massachusetts, a report out of the Middlesex County town of Hudson said that 5.4 inches of precipitation fell during the storm. Two Bristol County locales weren’t far behind; western Mansfield posted a storm total of 5.38 inches, while 5.06 inches were reported in Berkley. Finally, East Douglas in Worcester County came in at an even five inches of rain over the course of the weather event. One more statistic: with the early June storm, the city of Boston experienced its fourth-wettest June on record, with an whopping 9.42 inches falling on Beantown.
As you might expect certain parts of New England are above their average year-to-date totals for rainfall (as of June 27). The northern half of Connecticut, all of Rhode Island, and every county in Massachusetts except for Middlesex and Essex Counties have seen above normal precipitation levels at this point in 2013. In addition, Norfolk and Bristol Counties in Massachusetts are between two and three inches ahead of year-to-date average rainfall. Moreover, Plymouth and Dukes Counties are three to four inches above average; while Barnstable and Nantucket Counties have exceeded their year-to-date rainfall averages by at least half a foot.
This NOAA map indicates year-to-date rainfall totals in New England as compared to normal totals for this point in the year.
How Did Your House Hold Up?
If you live in any of these areas, you probably figured out very quickly whether or not your gutters and/or roof were in good working order. Even though the rainfall exceeded an inch per hour in some parts of New England during the early June storm, your gutters along with your roof should have been able to handle the runoff. If they did not, there is a problem with your guttering system; either there is a clog in the gutters or downspouts, or the size or slope of your home’s gutters is inadequate. As for your roof, the “silver lining” to storms like this one is that they readily expose any leaks in your roof. So if you didn’t have water leaking into your attic or home, you can probably rest assured that your roof is in good repair.
The Pawtuxet River in Rhode Island, which crested as high as two feet above flood stage during June.
If you did see water where it wasn’t supposed to be, either as a result of a leaky roof or malfunctioning gutters, you should probably address that problem sooner rather than later. Moonworks has been serving the New England area for 20 years, so you know that the work will be performed properly by trained professionals. So give Moonworks a call today — and keep an eye out for more rain!