Jack Perry,Amy Russo,Alex Kuffner,Wheeler Cowperthwaite|The Providence Journal
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After catastrophic flooding Mondayin the city of Providence and surrounding areas, which led to several area highways being closed and a building collapse, the rain is expected to continue through Tuesday and into Wednesday.
Portions of I-95 were closed for hours yesterday, stranding motorists around Exit 18 at Thurbers Avenue as several feet of water collected in the roadway. It was a similar story on Rts. 6 and 10.
RIDOT Director Peter Alviti said in a press conference Monday evening that the drainage systems along the highway were overwhelmed by the amount of water. State Police were helping to retrieve cars stalled out in the floodwaters, and an unoccupied building on Peace Street collapsed.
Governor Dan McKee yesterday asked Rhode Islanders to stay home if possible.
Here's what you need to know today:
Flooding closes post office in Providence
The ElmwoodPostOfficehas been temporarily closed because of flooding, the United States Postal Service announced late Tuesday.
Cleanup has started, and the postal service "hopes to reopen this location for full service as quickly as feasible."
Mail delivery will continue from another location, although customers could see "minor delays" because of street flooding, the postal service said.
Full retail and PO Box service for Elmwood customers is available at the Washington ParkPostOfficeat 1284 Broad St., Providence, the postal service said.
Rain closes shellfish beds in Narragansett Bay
The heavy rain has prompted the closing of several large shellfish areas in Narragansett Bay, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management announced Tuesday afternoon.
The rain triggered several combined sewer overflow discharges and caused heavy runoff into the bay, which can deposit bacterial contaminants into the water, the DEM said.
The closed areas include waters north of a line running from about Quonset Point in North Kingstown to the northern tip of Conanicut Island (Jamestown) to the southern tip of Prudence Island to Carr Point in Portsmouth, according to theDEM.
Previous testing indicates that bacterial levels in the bay will return to safe levels within a week to 10 days, the DEM said. The DEM will sample the water later this week and early next week.
According to the DEM, Upper Narragansett Bay area A, Upper Narragansett Bay area B, and Lower Providence River area E are scheduled to reopen at 12 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 16.
Greenwich Bay, Mount Hope Bay, the Kickemuit River, the West Middle Bay shellfish area (GA9), and the East Middle Bay shellfish area (GA3) are scheduled to reopen at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
Will all of this rain pull Rhode Island out of the drought?
With Rhode Island in a drought, all of this rain is sure to change that, right?
Maybe.But we won't know officially until Thursday, when the U.S. Drought Monitor updates its map "to show the location and intensity of drought across the country."
Right now, 53% of Rhode Island -- the southern part of the state and the northeast corner -- is in extreme drought. The rest of the state is in severe drought, which is considered less serious.
That's an improvement over last week, when 99.1% of the state was in extreme drought.
The U.S. Drought Monitor usesfour categories to describe drought conditions, starting with moderate and progressing to severe, extreme and exceptional.
According to Laura Hart at the Department of Administration, "While the recent volume of precipitation will certainly be impactful, indicators need to reach or exceed normal levels for longer than one month for a statewide drought advisory to be rescinded."
According to the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration, drought experts assess conditions weekly, considering rainfall, temperature and soil moisture, among other factors, to "make their best judgments of regional-scale drought conditions..."
While the storm has brought plenty of rain to parts of Rhode Island, including a reported 10.83 inches to Cranston and 8.31 to Providence, the southern part of the state didn't get as much.
For example, Westerly and Narragansett had less than an inch as of early Tuesday morning, while Charlestown had a little over an inch, according to reports to the National Weather Service.
Twitter users introduce sharks, whalesto the flooded streets
A shark swimming alongside cars ona flooded Route 95.A killer whalejumping from a flooded street.
SomeTwitter users have turned to humor for relief from the turmoil caused by Monday and Tuesday's heavy rain.
Below is a sample of memes that have caught our eyes:
Did it rain this much during the 2010 floods?
Cranston has gotten 10.83 inches of rain over the last 24 hours, the highest amount reported to the National Weather Service for the storm that's flooded roads and buildings in Rhode IslandMonday and Tuesday.
In comparison, the historic floods in 2010came after six to 10 inches of rain fell over a three-day period between March29 and 31, according to the National Weather Service.The rainfall was so devastating because, after a succession of previous storms,the state had already endured its wettest March in history.
By the time the latest round of rainarrived, the PawtuxetRiver wasat capacity. The river and its tributaries spilled their banks sending muddy water into neighborhoods from Johnston to Warwick, and cutting off Route 95for nearly two days.The Pawcatuck River also flooded parts of Westerly and Hopkinton.By the time the skiescleared,a new all-time monthly precipitation record had been set in Rhode Island of 16.3 inches.
-- Alex Kuffner
Flooding closes DMV branch in Providence
"Severe flooding" has closed the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles' branch office at 325 Melrose Streetin Providence.
The closing will continue through at least Wednesday, the DMV announced Tuesday morning.
The DMV will contact all customers with reservations for the Providence branch to reschedule.
All other DMV offices and online services remain available.
Providence mayor speaks on Atwells Avenue flooding:
On Tuesday, Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza addressed the flooding on Atwells Avenue, which some candidates for mayor had pointed out Monday as a failure to invest in infrastructure.
Mayor Jorge Elorza told The Providence Journal that the patch, which was installed not by a vendor but by Providence Water, "was within the 90-day settling period," so a permanent patch couldn't have been installed.
"Yesterday’s burst patch and resulting road damage were plainly not a result of sloppy vendors, bad planning, or faulty execution," the mayor said. "Given the massive amount of flash rain, it is amazing and we were quite fortunate that more similar incidents did not occur."
-- Amy Russo
Excessive Rainfall Forecast: Risk of rainfall exceeding flash flood guidance within 25 miles of a point
Are Rhode Island rivers flooding?: Real-Time River Water Level Observation
What has been reported to the NWS?: Rolling storm damage reports in Rhode Island
More than 10 inches of rain reported in Cranston,8-plus in Providence
Nearly 11 inches of rain has fallen in Cranston Monday and Tuesday, according to one measurement reported to the National Weather Service.
The 10.83-inch measurement was reported to the National Weather Service at 6:59 a.m., and included in the updated rainfall numbers the Weather Service posted to its website Tuesday morning.
With 8.31 inches as of 7 a.m., Providence wasn't far behind.
Some other eye-popping numbers came from Smithfield with 7.95 inches, North Providence with 7.28 inches and Smithfield with 6.6 inches.
The precipitation reports "are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures. We thank all volunteer weather observers for their dedication. Not all data listed are considered official."
How much rain did Rhode Island get?: Here is the breakdown by community
Here are the active National Weather Services alerts for Providence
Flood warning remains in effect for much of Rhode Island:
A flood warning remains in effect for Rhode Island until 11 a.m. as another 1 to 2 inches of rain is possible, according to the National Weather Service.
The additional rain is expected after 3 to 8 inches of rain caused widespread flooding Monday, closing Route 95 and triggering the collapse of a building in Providence.
"Flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly in the warned area," the Weather Service said early Tuesday morning."Some locations that will experience flooding include... Providence, Warwick, Cranston, Pawtucket, East Providence, Woonsocket, Cumberland, North Providence, Johnston, North Attleborough, Attleboro, Smithfield, Lincoln, Central Falls, Burrillville, North Smithfield, Scituate, Glocester, Plainville and Foster."
Major flooding closes streets and collapses building in Providence: Governor warns drivers to stay off roads
"Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring. It will take several hours for all the water from these storms to work through local drainage systems in urban areas," the Weather Service said.
Related: See the flooding that closed Rhode Island roadways
A flood warning is issued when flooding is imminent or occurring, according to the National Weather Service.
A flood watch will continue through Tuesday afternoon. A flood watch isissued when conditions are favorable for flooding, according to the Weather Service.It does not mean flooding will occur, but it is possible.
How much rain fell?: 'Like a sponge wringing out water:' Rain flooded streets, highways Tuesday.
jperry@providencejournal.com
(401) 277-7614
On Twitter: @jgregoryperry
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