Deluge of rain soaks Rhode Island; Nearly 12 inches fall in Cranston

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Little Rhody got soaked by big rain.

After a two-day deluge flooded portions of the state west of Providence, the flood warnings were finally lifted late Tuesday afternoon.

The torrential rains deposited nearly 12 inches in Cranston while some other areas of the state got 8 inches and more.

The “narrow band” of rainfall that doused the region as far west as the eastern central portion of Connecticut, which got around 6 inches, began falling Monday afternoon and didn’t let up through most of the day Tuesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Bill Simpson told the Herald. Attleboro, Mass., got almost 5 1/2 inches.

The NWS lifted its flood warnings for the region at around 3 p.m. Tuesday. Simpson said that the area might only receive light showers from Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday.

“Thursday into the weekend looks pretty nice,” he said, for southern New England.

The flooding caused all kinds of closures and problems. The Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles closed its Providence branch office on Tuesday due to flooding. That should reopen Wednesday. And the city’s Roger Williams Park Zoo had to close to clean up the mess left by the rain.

No animals were harmed, a zoo spokesperson told WJAR-TV. The zoo was also scheduled to reopen Wednesday.

Interstate 95 and other roads in and around Providence were blocked by rainwaters on Monday, with the state Transportation Department releasing a flurry of tweets about flooded roads throughout the day. The interstate was reopened later that evening, the department said in a tweet.

Agency Director Peter Alviti said at a Monday news conference that the rain was overwhelming the drainage systems.

An unoccupied building collapsed in the floodwaters in Providence and about 30 Brown University students were temporarily displaced from their dorm when rainwaters flooded a lower floor.

In July, Providence had less than half an inch of rainfall in the third driest July on record. Half of the state was experiencing extreme drought and the rest was experiencing severe drought as of last week.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Firefighters wade through flooded Oaklawn Avenue in Cranston, R.I., to check on drivers, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. The heavy rain that caused street flooding and forced the closure of major roads in Rhode Island on Labor Day continued on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. (WJAR/TurnTo10.com via AP)
Firefighters wade through flooded Oaklawn Avenue in Cranston, R.I., to check on drivers, Monday, Sept. 5, 2022. The heavy rain that caused street flooding and forced the closure of major roads in Rhode Island on Labor Day continued on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. (WJAR/TurnTo10.com via AP)
A truck navigates flooding on Industrial Road in Cumberland, R.I., on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. The heavy rain that caused street flooding and forced the closure of major roads in Rhode Island on Labor Day continued on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. (WJAR/TurnTo10.com via AP)
A truck navigates flooding on Industrial Road in Cumberland, R.I., on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. The heavy rain that caused street flooding and forced the closure of major roads in Rhode Island on Labor Day continued on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. (WJAR/TurnTo10.com via AP)

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