Henri’s Lumbering Pace Is Bad News for Wherever the Storm Hits

(Bloomberg) -- Tropical Storm Henri will slow to a crawl after it makes landfall Sunday, wringing out its heavy rain across a New England landscape that has already had a summer of drenching conditions. 

Unlike the drought that has gripped California and the West, Massachusetts and the rest of New England has had a dripping wet season that raises the risk of floods because the soil is already soaked. Boston has seen more than double the normal rainfall during July, and above averages amounts have poured in Hartford, Providence and southern New Hampshire. 

“I would expect widespread flash flooding Sunday into Monday,” said Rob Carolan, owner of Hometown Forecast Services and forecaster for Bloomberg Radio.

Also See: Tropical Storm Henri Could Be the Next $1 Billion Disaster 

Henri’s heavy rain falling on saturated ground will leave the water with little place to go but to run off into streets and yards throughout the region, Carolan said. This also means the ground around trees will be soft and soggy, making them vulnerable to being toppled. 
 

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