Still drying out from flooding, region now faces cold, snow
Lee Toma didn’t know quite when the rusty old once-white refrigerator arrived near the mouth of the Neponset River in Dorchester, but he knows it didn’t survive the storms of the past week.
The fridge had surfed its way down the waterway on Boston’s southern border on what has become a succession of particularly high tides, said Toma of the Neponset River Greenway Council, and the storms that pounded New England last week seem to have pulled it out to sea.
Flooding from a combination of severe winter storms and high tides “is getting more common,” he said Sunday. “As the sea level continues to rise and the storms continue, it’s going to be an increasing issue.”
The forces that finally deepsixed this nomad of the Neponset have battered much of the region in recent days, causing flooding and damage along shorelines and rivers in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, and there is more to come.
A nor’easter last Sunday dumped more than a foot of snow on many inland areas of the state, and it was followed Wednesday by a rainstorm that led to widespread flooding. Then, from late Friday into Saturday, a warm, heavy rain with whipping wind brought another round of flooding, before temperatures took a nosedive Sunday as snow squalls hit parts of the region. Some flood and wind warnings from Saturday remained active into Sunday night in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Governor Maura Healey said Sunday that the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has been closely following the recent severe weather and flooding in communities across the state.
“Our team at MEMA is in contact with municipal leaders to identify any ongoing needs and coordinate support as communities recover,” Healey said in a statement. “We understand the level of damage and stress this is causing to our cities and towns, and our entire administration is here to assist with needs related to public safety, utilities, transportation and more.”
At Logan International Airport, 235 flights were delayed and 39 canceled on Sunday as of 10 p.m., according to Flightaware.com.
MEMA reported about 6,000 power outages at around 4:30 p.m., but that number was down to around 200 by 10 p.m.
More snow is expected to arrive late Tuesday morning and continue into the evening, with the potential for 2 to 3 inches in Boston and 4 inches possible in North Central Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures are projected to top out in the low to mid 30s.
Cape Cod and the Islands are expected to see a mix of rain of snow Tuesday, because temperatures there will likely be above freezing. Another light snowfall is possible Friday.
In downtown Boston on Sunday afternoon, several offices along Long Wharf had open doors reverberating with the whir of fans drying them out. A day earlier, the ocean had reclaimed the road there, transforming it into a waterway running past restaurants, tour companies, and hotels.
“It looked like a river just going to Atlantic Avenue,” said Willie Carvajal, a manager at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf who said he was working Saturday during the flooding. He said water didn’t get into the hotel, and guests didn’t seem to have problems coming and going, but flooding like this is something the hotel has to contend with.
Nearby in Christopher Columbus Park, North End resident Walter Dray pointed at some remaining puddles and marveled at the flooding.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I’ve never seen it that big.”
Saturday’s high tide around noon in Boston Harbor peaked at 14.41 feet, which falls in the “moderate” flood category, according to the National Weather Service. The record is 15.2 feet.
Portland, Maine, set a new flood record of 14.57 feet around noon Saturday, breaking a 46-year-old record of 14.17 feet set in 1978, according to the National Weather Service. And in South Portland, the storm destroyed the city’s historic fishing shacks at Willard Beach, the city said in a statement posted on social media.
South Portland’s Bug Light Park — the location of the Portland Breakwater Lighthouse — will remain closed until at least Tuesday, after the storm caused major damage to the pathway leading to the lighthouse, the statement said.
Michelle Erskine said she was visiting fisherman’s point at Willard Beach in South Portland on Saturday when she captured video of the last two wooden shacks sliding into the ocean.
”It’s truly a sad day for the community and the residents of South Portland,” Erskine told The Associated Press on Sunday.
“History is just being washed away.”
In a statement Sunday, Maine Governor Janet Mills said that the previous day’s storm was devastating for vulnerable coastal communities that were already reeling from last week’s rain, wind, and flooding.
“These extreme weather events have taken a major toll on some of Maine’s most iconic landmarks, working waterfronts, roadways, and infrastructure,” she said. “Maine’s coastline is central to our culture, our identity, and our economy — and it’s heartbreaking to see this part of our state and our people bear the brunt of back-to-back storms.”
Sean Cotter can be reached at sean.cotter@globe.com. Follow him @cotterreporter. John Hilliard can be reached at john.hilliard@globe.com. Globe correspondent Bailey Allen and Nick Stoico of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press was also used.