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Another 'soaker' expected to dump up to 4 inches of rain

E-mail|Link|Comments () July 23, 2009 07:15 PM

Weather Service radar shows the rain moving in.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

No need to water the lawn today. Or any time soon. A storm full of tropical moisture bearing down on the Bay State is expected to dump up to 4 inches of rain, flooding urban areas and pushing streams to their limits, forecasters said.

The rain is expected to persist into Friday morning, said National Weather Service meteorologist Alan Dunham.

"This is going to be another soaker," he said, noting that much of the area will get 2 to 4 inches

The rain will increase in intensity during the evening and be heavy at times during the overnight hours, Dunham said. The storm might still be around to dampen Friday's morning commute, he said.

The service issued a flood watch for most of the state from 9 p.m. tonight through Friday morning, saying that some larger streams could come close to flood stage.

The service also warned of minor coastal flooding as strong east and southeast winds generate a storm surge of up to 1 foot, coinciding with high tides late tonight on the south coast and early Friday morning on the east coast.

"In Hingham, Hull, Scituate, those communities will probably be dealing with some water on their [shoreline] roadways," meteorologist Frank Nocera said.