Nearly three inches of rain turned streets into rivers across Falmouth and Brockton on Friday, floating trash barrels through a gas station parking lot, partially submerging gas pumps, and even flooding the Falmouth police station itself. Off-duty officers were called in to help manage the chaos as road crews scrambled to close flooded stretches on both ends, leaving at least one local business barely able to operate.
Falmouth Streets Turn Into Waterways
The downpours dumped nearly three inches of rain on Falmouth, according to WHDH, with trash barrels seen floating through the parking lot of Garrett’s Family Market and an adjacent gas station off Route 28. Video from the scene showed the station’s gas pumps halfway submerged in standing water, as reported by wcvb.com.
Falmouth police urged residents to stay home after the heavy rain flooded roadways all over town Friday, per the same report. Police Chief Jeffrey A. Lourie identified severe flooding on Falmouth Heights Road, Grand Avenue, Menauhant Road, and the stretch of East Main Street in front of Bank of America near Falmouth Lumber. The flooding was significant enough that it reached the Falmouth police station itself, and off-duty officers were called in to help out, according to nbcboston.com.
Brockton Businesses Blocked by Rising Water
Flooding also hit Brockton, where several local businesses were impacted, per WHDH. Westgate Drive flooded badly enough that drivers were forced to pass through several inches of standing water, and road authorities ultimately closed the road on both ends. Video captured by NBC Boston also showed flooded streets throughout Brockton as the storm rolled through.
Among the businesses caught in the flooding was the Salvation Army Family Store, which was described as pretty much shut down unless customers were willing to walk through the water to reach it. Dave Halter, the store’s manager, said the road closures directly affected business at the store, according to WHDH.
More Rain, and a Rare November Thunderstorm
The storms weren’t isolated to Falmouth and Brockton. A flood watch was issued Friday afternoon for parts of Bristol and Plymouth counties as well as parts of Rhode Island, nbcboston.com reported, and the National Weather Service expected another 1 to 2 inches of rain on top of what had already fallen by mid-afternoon — nearly doubling the day’s total. Two separate weather systems were delivering steady, heavy rain along with isolated downpours and thunderstorms across Boston, southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with the wet weather expected to continue into early Saturday, according to The Boston Globe.
The Globe reported that Greater Boston, areas along I-95 and the Cape were all in line for up to 3 inches of rain, with some spots potentially seeing a drenching closer to 4 or 5 inches. A flood watch remained in effect through early Saturday for southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. By 1 p.m. Friday, the Blue Hill Observatory in Milton had logged 1.06 inches of precipitation, and the observatory noted that the last time it had documented thunder in November was back in 2021 — underscoring just how unusual Friday’s storm system was for the season.
