Wild Weather Across Massachusetts and Here in The Berkshires

There is no doubt in my mind that global warming exists in more ways than one as we experienced stifling hot and humid weather during the long 4th of July holiday weekend and since Sunday, the tri-state region has experienced copious amounts of heavy rain which stretches statewide. In neighboring New York, the lower Hudson Valley saw massive flooding as Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for Orange county. Also parts of Putnam and Rockland counties suffered an impact from the heavy rain which measured between 5 and 10 inches in that portion of The Empire State. Reports stated the Hoosic River in Williamstown has reached it's limits as area residents need to be cautious and alert while travelling.

Locally, flood warnings took effect on Monday morning in the Berkshires, north western Connecticut and all across Dutchess and Columbia counties. Keep in mind, the entire tri-state region remains in a flood watch until 2 pm Tuesday afternoon.

Chief Paul Storti reiterated that motorists should watch their surroundings while driving and if you see an enormous amount of water on your route, "turn around, don't drown" as you do NOT want to go one-on-one with Mother Nature. Plan accordingly and give yourself extra time as there is NO rush to go from point A to point B on a day that we are experiencing. If there are any updates, we'll keep you posted.

There were some traffic troubles during the morning commute as portions of route 41 saw excessive amounts of rain resulting in the closure of Welcome Street and Taconic Avenues in Great Barrington. Parts of Stockbridge Road also saw some trouble spots plus the core of Great Barrington was embedded with water which caused massive delays. Due to the inclement weather, Metro North Railroad announced trains on The Hudson line will NOT be running today between Croton-On-Hudson and Poughkeepsie, New York. Amtrak also suspended service between Albany and New York City until further notice.

The People's Pantry on St. James Place has shut down for the afternoon due to the weather conditions. They will resume normal distribution on Thursday morning at 10.

Here are the details in our Accu Weather Forecast:

FLOOD WATCH in effect for Berkshire county, Massachusetts, Litchfield county in North Western Connecticut and Eastern New York

Heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms for tonight . It will also be humid as our area feels like Florida these days. Lows down to 60.

Rain will subside by Tuesday morning. Partly sunny, warmer and humid with a high of 85.

Clear Tuesday night. Lows around 62.

For the rest of this week, a calm after the storm: A mix of sun and clouds on Wednesday with a high around 85, cloudy on Thursday, highs near 80 and again we could see showers and thunderstorms by Friday and a 50/50 weekend is predicted with Saturday being the better of those two days.

BOTTOM LINE: As Micheal Conrad used to say on "Hill Street Blues": "BE CAREFUL out there!"