NORTHAMPTON — Torrential rain from Hurricane Florence drenched parts of the Valley on Tuesday, causing several road closures but no major problems.
The National Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning for Hampshire, Franklin, northern Worcester, and northwestern Middlesex counties that was in effect from Tuesday morning through early afternoon. A National Weather Service preliminary storm report showed that Northampton had gotten 3 inches of rain as of Tuesday mid-morning.
“This is the remnants of Florence,” said Lenore Correia, a meteorologist at NWS Boston/Norton.
The deadly Hurricane Florence dumped rain — nearly 3 feet in one area — on the Carolinas and left more than two dozen people dead and more than a thousand roads closed. Thanks to that storm, areas farther north in New England and the mid-Atlantic saw rain Tuesday.
Roads were temporarily closed in several areas of Hampshire County.
“Route 9 eastbound by the Courtyard Marriott is closed due to flooding. Please avoid the area,” the Hadley Police Department posted on its Facebook page Tuesday morning. Later, one lane of traffic was opened.
Due to heavy rain, Industrial Parkway in Easthampton was closed for about an hour Tuesday morning, according to Director of Public Works Joseph Pipczynski. Potwine Lane, a residential street in South Amherst, was closed because of flooding at around 11 a.m., according to Department of Public Works Director Guilford Mooring. And in Northampton, parts of Chestnut Street and Lower Elm were closed to vehicles, though they were reopened by early afternoon, according to Northampton Director of Public Works Donna LaScaleia.
Several tree limbs came down in Granby, with one falling on wires on Chicopee Street and affecting service to one house, according to the Highway Superintendent David Desrosiers. Crews worked to restore the service line, and picked up branches and any other potential road hazards that they came across.
In preparation for the storm in Granby, town employees were sent out Monday to clean debris around culverts, which can become blocked. Pipcyznskis said similar actions were taken in Easthampton.
While the heavy rain was a concern, Pipczynski didn’t see it as a major problem. “It’s not something we haven’t seen before,” he said.
Amherst Fire Chief Walter “Tim” Nelson said even with the road closures in both Amherst and Hadley, he didn’t anticipate problems getting ambulances to patients who need care. Nelson said the department’s firefighters and paramedics know the detours that are available around the communities they serve, and to the region’s hospitals.
“It’s going to be more of an annoyance than a hindrance,” Nelson predicted of the heavy rain.
Officials warned people to steer clear — quite literally — of puddles on the road.
“You see any flooded roadways, do not drive through it. It’s not worth it. We say turn around, don’t drown,” Correia, of the National Weather Service, said.
To help prevent future flooding, Lascaleia said residents can help by clearing leaves and debris from storm drains near their homes, or call the Department of Public Works for help in doing so.
Staff writers Scott Merzbach and Jacquelyn Voghel contributed to this story.
Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com.