Spotters for the National Weather Service measured the following unofficial rainfall totals for communities in Greater Lowell, for the storms of March 13-15 and March 28-30:

Acton, 13.17"
Bedford, 12.71"
Billerica, 12.93"
Groton, 10.18"
Hudson, N.H., 8.46"
Lowell, 10.75"
Nashua, N.H., 8.63"
Pepperell, 9.28"
Tewksbury, 10.06"
Westford, 10.40"
Wilmington, 12.65"

Posted by SunNewsroom at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

... is the sun. Do not panic.

It appears river flooding will get no worse, as waters are receding throughout Greater Lowell.
Nashua River in East Pepperell, which rose several feet, has apparently crested, and will recede through the weekend. However, it will still be at flood stage beyond Saturday morning, according to National Weather Service projections.
The Concord River in Lowell will remain above flood stage through Saturday, but is not expected to rise.
The Squannacook River has dropped below flood stage. The Merrimack River in Lowell and Shawsheen River in Wilmington are expected to drop below flood stage tomorrow.
The weekend forecast: Sunny through the weekend, highs in the 70s.

Posted by SunNewsroom at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The rain may be finished, but public-safety officials are watching and waiting, as water still flows high in rivers and streams.
Some roads across the region remained closed Wednesday night. They include:
• In Acton, Estabrook at Route 2A remained closed.
• In Ayer, West Main Street near the fire station.
• In Bedford, Railroad Avenue.
• In Billerica, Riverbank Terrace, Elsie Avenue, George Brown Street.
• In Concord, Route 117, Cambridge Turnpike, Pine Street, Sudbury Road at the Nashawtuc Country Club.
• In Dunstable, River Street.
• In Groton, Broadmeadow Road
• In Littleton, more than a mile of Route 119, from Beaver Brook Road to the Groton line, is now closed, and expected to remain closed for at least two weeks
• In Shirley, Walker Street at Front Street.
• In Wilmington, Wildwood Road by the power station, Glenn Road by the town hall, and Canal Street.

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Pepperell Police have now said that Route 119 is closed in their town, near the Groton town line, where the Nashua River goes under the road.

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PanAm Railways suspended operations along its Main Line on Tuesday, choking off a main artery to Northern New England. Among trains affected are a coal train headed for the Public Service of New Hampshire power plant in Bow, N.H. That train is now sitting in Fitchburg.
Cynthia Scarano, executive vice president of PanAm Railways, said the high water level can burn out the traction motors on the rail locomotives.
According to Scarano, PanAm Railways planned in advance for the potential flooding by shipping as much material as possible including coal to a power plant in Bow, N.H. and a number of paper mills in Maine.
"This is a central artery that feeds all of the northeast," Scarano said of the railways.
She hopes to have the freights able to pass through Littleton by Thursday afternoon. If the water levels do not recede, PanAm Railways will make other shipping accommodations.
SUN PHOTO/BOB WHITAKER

Posted by SunNewsroom at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a Wednesday afternoon update on water levels for major rivers as monitored by the National Weather Service:
* Merrimack River, Lowell: 53.5 feet at 2 p.m. Expected to crest at 54.4 feet at 2 a.m. Thursday. Flood stage is 52.0 feet.
* Concord River, Lowell: 9.21 feet at 2:45 p.m. Expected to crest at 9.3 feet at 2 p.m. Thursday. Flood stage is 8.0 feet.
* Shawsheen River, Wilmington: Cresting at 9.41 feet at 2:45 p.m. Flood stage is 7 feet.
* Squannacook River, West Groton: 7.44 feet at 2:45 p.m. Flood stage is 7 feet. Expected to drop below flood stage by 8 p.m.
* Nashua River, East Pepperell: 10.69 feet at 2:30 p.m. Expected to crest at 12.5 feet at 2 a.m. Thursday. Flood stage is 8 feet.
* Merrimack River, Nashua, 17.77 feet at 2:15 a.m. Expected to crest at 18.2 feet at 2 a.m. Thursday. Flood stage is 18 feet.
Though the rivers are not running quite as high as two weeks ago, several are approaching their records.
The Concord River, at 9.14 feet, would be the fourth-highest crest in recorded history.
The Shawsheen River, at 9.26 feet, would be fifth-highest.

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Click to enlarge.

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The detour route for the closed section of Route 119 between Gilson Road and Route 225 has been changed. Drivers are now required to take Beaver Brook Road instead of Gilson Road. Beaver Brook Road connects Route 119 with Forge Village Road.
Route 119 is expected to remain closed for about two weeks while the state Department of Transportation repairs a major culvert that collapsed last Thursday.

Posted by SunNewsroom at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by SunNewsroom at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The National Weather Service has posted unofficial rainfall totals reported from areas of Greater Lowell:
Wilmington, 5.00"
Billerica, 4.93"
Bedford, 4.74"
Westford, 4.40"
Acton, 4.14"
Townsend, 4.13"
Pepperell, 3.94"
Groton, 3.91"
Ayer, 3.85"
Lowell, 3.54"
North Tewksbury, 3.24"
Hudson, N.H, 2.95"
Nashua, N.H., 2.82"

As bad as the weather has been, it could have been worse. South Kingstown, R.I., reported 9.97".

Posted by SunNewsroom at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a Wednesday morning update on water levels for major rivers as monitored by the National Weather Service:
* Merrimack River, Lowell: 52.44 feet at 7:30 a.m. Expected to crest at 54.7 feet at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Flood stage is 52.0 feet.
* Concord River, Lowell: 9.07 feet at 6:45 a.m. Expected to crest at 9.14 feet at 2 p.m. Flood stage is 8.0 feet.
* Shawsheen River, Wilmington: Cresting at 9.26 feet at 8 a.m. Flood stage is 7 feet.
* Squannacook River, West Groton: Cresting at 7.5 feet at 7:45 a.m. Flood stage is 7 feet. Expected to drop below flood stage after 2 p.m.
* Nashua River, East Pepperell: 9.65 feet at 8:30 a.m. Expected to crest at 14.5 feet at 2 a.m. Thursday. Flood stage is 8 feet.
* Merrimack River, Nashua, 15.95 feet at 7;15 a.m. Expected to crest at 18.6 feet at 2 a.m. Thursday. Flood stage is 18 feet.
Though the rivers are not running quite as high as two weeks ago, several are approaching their records.
The Concord River, at 9.14 feet, would be the fourth-highest crest in recorded history.
The Shawsheen River, at 9.26 feet, would be fifth-highest.

Posted by SunNewsroom at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The rain may be tapering, but public-safety officials are watching and waiting, as rivers and streams continue to rise.
Some roads across the region remain closed. They include:
• In Acton, Estabrook at Route 2A remained closed.
• In Bedford, Railroad Avenue.
• In Billerica, Elsie Avenue and the George Brown Street Bridge remain closed.
• In Concord, Cambridge Turnpike, Pine Street, Sudbury Road at the Nashawtuc Country Club, Westbound Lane of Route 117 is detoured at Verrill Farm.
• In Dunstable, River Street.
• In Groton, Broadmeadow Road
• In Littleton, more than a mile of Route 119, from Beaver Brook Road to the Groton line, is now closed, and expected to remain closed for at least two weeks
• In Tewksbury, Whipple Road at the junction of Brown Street; River Road
• In Wilmington, End of Nichols Street, Phillips Avenue, Canal Street, Federal Street, and Concord; Glen Road at Town Hall, Wildwood Street
• In Lowell, end of Billerica Street.
•In Westford, Bridge Street, Gould Road, and Carlisle Road between Whitney Drive and Applewood Drive.

Posted by SunNewsroom at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)