Badly Needed Rains Monday Come with Thunderstorm, Flood Warnings

RHODE ISLAND—Badly needed rain is here, but it could bring severe thunderstorms and localized flooding to some parts of Rhode Island, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Washington County urban and small stream flood advisory for Kent and Washington Counties on Monday morning. Heavy rain could cause minor flooding in Cranston, Coventry, South Kingstown, North Kingstown, Narragansett, East Greenwich and other towns. The same system has produced rainfall rates of two inches per hour in parts of Connecticut.

"These rainfall rates are anticipated to move into the [area] resulting in urban flooding," the weather service said in the flood advisory.

The possible thunderstorms could come with wind gusts up to 60 mph. A powerful line of storms heading from the west has the potential to produce "brief tornadoes and widespread significant wind damage," but "a tornado is not immediately likely."

Due to the localized nature of the storms, residents in one town might see just rain and some mild gusts while a community next door could suffer pockets of damage. The weather service recommends staying alert and be ready to move to an interior room or lowest floor of a building if conditions become severe.

The storm could bring substantial rain by the time sunny skies are expected to return on Wednesday, but it won't be enough to alleviate the drought-stricken Ocean State. Most of the state is considered to be experiencing severe drought conditions after an extremely dry summer.

Showers will linger through the night and more rain is possible Tuesday. Skies will be sunny on Wednesday with summery temperatures in the low 80s and upper 70s, according to the National Weather Service.