Flooding Continues as Rain Departs

By AccuWeather.com senior expert meteorologist Alex Sosnowski
State College, Pa. — AccuWeather.com reports in the wake of the storm that dropped from 4 to 8 inches of rain from coastal Maine to New Jersey, flooding will continue in some areas into the Easter weekend.
The last remnants of the tremendous rain storm will fizzle by this evening. In many locations hit hard by the storm, the rain has already diminished.
While many rivers were forecast to crest by this evening in the region, these same rivers will remain above flood stage for days, while slowly receding.
Some water level gauges along the Sudbury, Charles, Woonasquatucket, Pawtuxet and Quinebaug rivers in eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut have never recorded water levels this high before. In some cases levels were several feet above previously established record water levels. In some cases record flooding has occurred for the second time in two weeks.
High water levels will keeps some roads and bridges closed through the holiday weekend. Route 184 has sustained severe damage in the Groton, Conn., area may be closed for months.
Where waters recede enough and reveal the damage, residents flooded out will spend part of the weekend shoveling mud and drying out their homes. The destruction left behind by the forceful waters in some communities will be tremendous.
Remember to keep children away from playing near flooded areas or raging waters along streams this weekend. Ground softened by heavy rain and flooding could give way.
Better Days Ahead
The storm that is departing the Northeast is essentially the caboose in the long train of nor’easters to batter the region since last fall.
The number of days without rain will out weigh days with rain during April. Strengthening sunshine and warmer days will accelerate the drying process.
Temperatures will surge well into the 60s, 70s and 80s Friday through Easter Sunday. The only lingering cool spots will be downwind areas that have exposure to flooded waters, lakes and the ocean.
A Dry Summer?
There are some indications that the weakening El Nino pattern in the Pacific Ocean may flip this summer to a La Niña pattern.
While El Niño and La Niña patterns vary in strength and position, these alterations in Pacific water temperatures can have vast contributions on seasonal climate in the U.S. and abroad.
It remains to be seen if the La Niña pattern will indeed develop and if so, how extreme it will be. La Niña patterns in the past have produced abnormally dry conditions in parts of the nation, including the Northeast. There are other players in the seasonal climate.