Providence starts Sunday cool and partly to mostly cloudy, but clouds are expected to thicken and showers become more likely by midafternoon. Rain is forecast to spread across the area Sunday evening and continue overnight, with about 0.75 to 1 inch possible around Providence. The National Weather Service Boston/Norton describes a prolonged period of moderate rain as the main concern, rather than especially strong winds.
For people traveling Sunday afternoon or evening, the rain could mean wet roads and reduced visibility. A Small Craft Advisory is also forecast to begin Sunday evening for some southern New England waters as seas build, according to the weather service.
Rainfall is not an overflow forecast
The forecast amount is relevant to Providence’s combined sewer system, but it does not establish that an overflow will occur. The Narragansett Bay Commission says heavy rain can exceed the capacity of combined sewers and cause overflows into local rivers and Narragansett Bay. The commission also says its deep rock tunnel temporarily stores water during storms and sends it to a wastewater treatment plant after the storm. Those general descriptions do not say whether Sunday’s forecast will trigger an overflow.
A wetter past storm is a comparison, not a prediction
The forecast total is lower than rainfall reported during a separate Rhode Island storm on Dec. 17, 2023. WPRI.com reported 2 to 4 inches from that event, with localized amounts of 5 to 6 inches or more, and river flood warnings for the Pawtuxet and Woonasquatucket Rivers. That earlier storm provides context for a wetter event; it does not show what impacts, if any, Sunday’s rain will bring.
Rain is expected to taper off before or around Monday morning, with partly sunny skies and a high near 68. The forecast calls for a drier start to the workweek after Sunday night’s rain.
