The two-day rainstorm that blew through Massachusetts this week helped counter some of the worst effects of the months-long drought, flooded some local rivers and streams and dampened what some say was already tepid interest in the state’s primary elections.
GBH meteorologist Dave Epstein said most areas of the state will have received between one and four inches of rain by the end of the day Tuesday — much needed precipitation in a region suffering from dry weather since April.
"We may still stay in official drought conditions for a while longer, even with all of this rain, but it's definitely taken the backbone out of the drought,” Epstein said.
The downside: Some homeowners may find that their shrubs and trees will not survive the season and won’t be coming back next year, Epstein said. The good news is that most large farms have irrigation systems to protect them from negative effects of the dry summer. Many farms have benefited from the drought, he said, with less disease and more sugar in many fruits and vegetables.
“If you're able to irrigate, plants are really, super healthy because there hasn't been much fungus or other diseases on a lot of the plants,’’ he said. “Watermelon and cantaloupes and tomatoes and grapes are all tasting just absolutely amazing because of the lack of rain.”
Torry Gaucher, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in the Boston/Norton office, says the region still needs more rain over a longer period to reverse the drought. The heaviest rainfall was felt Monday in Rhode Island, which caused flooding and closures on Interstate 95. Much of Monday’s rain was expected to cause minor flooding, if at all, he said. Most of the rain won't be absorbed because of the dry ground, Gaucher said.
“When we have this significant heavy rain all at once, some of it is going to help,’’ he said. “But it’s not helping out as much as many people would expect.”
The biggest likely casualty of a rain-soaked early September are the political parties hoping to drum up support for their candidates during Tuesday’s primary elections.
In Cambridge, Thomas Epstein came out to vote Tuesday because he said he wanted to have his say in electing the state’s next governor and attorney general. However, it’s likely the rain kept some people at home.
"There is no question it will make a dent," he said.
Joe Vizard, city clerk in Waltham, said he didn’t see a lot of voters showing up in the morning, usually one of the busiest times of day for voters.
“I think the rain is likely impacting turnout today,’’ he said, however, “I wasn’t expecting huge turnout for this election."
GBH News' Liz Neisloss contributed to this report.
