Near record-setting temperatures made for a less-than white Christmas in Franklin County and the North Quabbin area this year.
Reaching 61 degrees Fahrenheit, Greenfield tied for its record high on Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service. A temperature that high was last recorded on Dec. 25, 2015.
“The warmth and the rain helped melt the snow pack, which pretty much washed away our white Christmas,” said meteorologist Torry Gaucher.
The area saw between 2 and 3 inches of rain from late Thursday night and throughout the following day.
“The highest rainfall total … that we have in Franklin County occurred in New Salem, and that was 3.1 inches of rain,” Gaucher said.
Although Franklin County was spared from the strong winds experienced in parts of southeastern Massachusetts — and therefore any major power outages — the heavy rain and “abnormally warmer temperatures” meant flooding in the area, he said.
“We also had the snow pack left over from last week’s snow storm and within that snow pack there was still an additional 1 to 2 inches of equivalent water in that snow,” Gaucher said, referencing the storm on Dec. 16 that dumped 12 to 18 inches of snow on the county. “So with the rain on top of it, there was an additional 1 to 2 inches of water released into the grounds, the tributaries and streams that overwhelmed those smaller rivers and streams.”
Area police departments, such as Gill and Greenfield, monitored local rivers throughout the day for potential flooding.
On Friday morning, the Greenfield Police Department posted on its Facebook page that Nash’s Mill Road and Colrain Street would be closed for flooding.
Both roads have since been reopened.
Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne