Strong Storm to Bring More Heavy Rain to the Region

We are waterlogged. A little more than a week-and-a-half into June, more than a half-foot of rain has fallen across southwestern Connecticut, making this the fourth wettest June on record. Six of the first 11 days have featured measured rain this month, including the record 4.43" last Friday and a combined total of 1.42" the last two days.

Now, another potentially powerful storm will bring more rain, heavy at times, to the area from mid-morning tomorrow through tomorrow night. One to three-plus inches of rain are possible along with strong, gusty winds late Thursday night into Friday morning. The rain will aggravate flooding problems in low-lying areas and in lakes, streams, rivers, and basements.

Here is a look at the top six wettest June months on record at Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford:

• 1972: 17.70"
• 1982: 11.53"
• 2003: 7.25"
• 2013: 6.82"
• 2011: 6.54"
• 2009: 6.41"

A half-inch of rain will move this month into third place, ahead of the 7.25" which fell a decade ago. Here is the projected rainfall map from the National Weather Service. Nearly three inches of rain are expected in Bridgeport, White Plains, and New Haven. More than three inches are possible in Danbury and Waterbury. That's nearly a month's worth of rain from one storm.

Make sure you clean your gutters and storm drains. If you have sump pumps in the basement, I'm sure they're been working since the heavy rain late last week. If you have a generator, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure you have gasoline and test it before the gusty winds arrive tomorrow night. Fortunately, the weekend is looking a whole lot better under partly-to-mostly sunny skies Saturday and some increasing cloudiness on Father's Day. Daytime highs will reach the 70s and nighttime lows will drop into the 50s.

Paul