So How Much Rain did RI Just Get?

After one of the driest Mays on record, Rhode Island got a much-needed soaking from a weather pattern that brought rain from Sunday through Tuesday.

Some isolated areas in Rhode Island got upwards of four inches of rain. More than half of the state got close to three inches. The lowest rainfall totals were on the south coast and the bottom end of Jamestown and Aquidneck Island.

Rhode Island was running about 2.5 inches below average right before the first raindrops fell on Sunday night. WPRI meteorologist T.J. Del Santo reported that the driest May was in 1939 with .57 inches falling in total. As of May 30, we had only seen .51 inches.

The rain has also revived streams and rivers that were drying up. In the Pawtuxet River, for example, streamflow data recorded by the USGS showed streamflow was running significantly below average leading up to the storm, with discharges of just about 50 cubic feet per second. The average for this time of year would be around 150.

As of today, the measurement is 200 cubic feet per second.

The rain also brought some much-needed moisture to the ground after weeks of severe fire risk conditions. Firefighters from around the state have contended with brush fires and house fires spreading into parched gardens and wooded areas.

Though sunshine has returned Wednesday, there are showers in the forecast later this week with a slight chance on Friday. Temperatures will remain more springlike than summery with a high of 73 on Saturday and 71 on Sunday for inland areas. Expect to chop 5 to 10 degrees off that near the coast.