Super soaker: Heavy rain in Cape Cod weekend forecast, flood watch in effect

A wicked wet weekend looms for Cape Cod, with two to three inches of rain expected to drench the peninsula by Sunday morning. The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for much of southeastern New England, including Barnstable County, in effect from Saturday morning through Sunday morning.

According to the flood watch, "Two to three inches of rainfall with locally higher amounts are expected Saturday into Saturday night. The heaviest rain will occur Saturday afternoon and evening which may lead to urban and poor drainage street flooding as well as sharp rises on rivers and streams. Some river flooding is possible."

Breezy winds are likely to be part of the package, with gusts around 40 mph expected on Saturday night. The windy conditions will likely outlast the rain, with wind gusts around 40 mph in the forecast through Tuesday.

Rob Megnia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service Boston/Norton office said coastal flooding is not expected to be part of the rainstorm. He also added that Cape Cod is not as prone to flooding during heavy rain as other parts of New England, due to the sandy soil, which allows relatively fast drainage.

According to Megnia, driving could be difficult during the three-to-six-hour window of the heaviest predicted rain, from Saturday afternoon into the evening.

"Watch out for hydroplaning," he said.

Here is the Hyannis forecast from the National Weather Service:

Saturday: Rain, mainly after 10 a.m. High near 50. Breezy, with a southeast wind 14 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday night: Rain, mainly before 4 a.m. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 34. Breezy, with a southeast wind 20 to 23 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible.

Sunday: A chance of rain, mainly before 7 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Windy, with a north wind 24 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 39 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Sunday night: A slight chance of rain after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Windy, with a north wind 25 to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 44 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Monday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Windy, with a northeast wind around 28 mph, with gusts as high as 45 mph.

Monday night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35. Windy, with a northeast wind 24 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph.

Eric Williams, when not solving Curious Cape Cod mysteries, writes about a variety of ways to enjoy the Cape, the weather, wildlife and other subjects. Contact him at ewilliams@capecodonline.com. Follow him on X: @capecast.

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Cape Cod Times subscription. Here are our subscription plans.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Cape Cod weather forecast: Flood watch, heavy rain this weekend