Rain
The latest National Hurricane Center cone of probability for Tropical Storm Elsa shows us maybe getting hit with lots of rain and winds between 39 and 73 m.p.h. sometime Friday (the "S" means winds in that range). Of course, a lot can happen between now and then, but it's something to keep an eye on.
Never mind a double rainbow, Cat Queen saw a triple rainbow over the water from Revere this afternoon.
More rainbow shots: Read more.
RoadTrip New England captured the scene this afternoon.
More views: Read more.
The National Weather Service advises you do that because we're expected to get a mighty wind on Christmas Day, not to mention potentially record setting amounts of rain (Harvey Leonard's looking at 2 1/2 inches in Boston), which is probably not what we want to see on top of all the snow.
On this rain-soaked morning, Boston's 311 system is filling up with complaints this morning about flooding caused by catch basins blocked by leaves, from Spring Park Avenue in Jamaica Plain to Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton and Kittredge Street in Roslindale, from East 7th and M streets in South Boston to the aptly named Pond Street in Dorchester.
The National Weather Service just issued a severe thunderstorm warning for much of eastern Massachusetts, including Boston, that runs through 11:15 p.m. Wind gusts up to 60 m.p.h. and hail the size of pennies possible.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs reports that while the entire state is still kind of droughty, precipitation last month means we're no longer in a critical drought.
Ed. note: Further proof comes in the Charles River between Millennium and Cutler parks, where the islands or sandbanks that had appeared over the summer - long enough to begin to get colonized by land-based plants - are now under water again.
Evan Stark captured the storm moving in over Jamaica Plain, just before the skies opened up this afternoon:
Emily Murphy, meanwhile, looked out over downtown Boston around 4:45 p.m.: Read more.
Friday morning update: Fay's path has shifted enough that the NWS has taken down its flash-flood watch for eastern Mass.
The National Weather Service has posted a flash flood watch for the entire state for Friday afternoon through Saturday as tropical storm Fay approaches: Read more.
Norwood town officials say they're moving the last patients from Norwood Hospital to other facilities as work begins to repair damage from the flooding yesterday. Read more.
Update: Another 60 to 70 patients were evacuated around 10:30 p.m.
The town of Norwood reports some 20 Norwood Hospital ICU patients were evacuated this evening after heavy rain flooded the hospital basement, "resulting in an electrical issue on the premises and a loss of power." Read more.
John in Eastie watched some impressive lightning from East Boston shortly after 8 p.m.
He took another shot shortly before 9 p.m., of a bolt possibly hitting in Cambridge: Read more.