New Bedford, Massachusetts is under a rare "flash flood emergency" this evening as Hurricane Arthur dropped more than six inches of rain over the city in just a couple of hours. Even though forecasts called for heavy rain, the intensity and amount of rainfall that occurred (and is ongoing) came as a surprise.

Forecasts called for between two and four inches of rain across eastern New England as Arthur passed by to the southeast on its way to the Canadian Maritimes. However, the rainfall came in faster and heavier than anticipated.

The heavy rain is the result of Hurricane Arthur's precipitation running up against a stationary front parked along the southeastern coast of New England.

As the wind runs up and over the stationary front, it enhances the precipitation and causes a stripe of very heavy rain just west of the front. New Bedford and its neighboring communities are right along the enhanced rain, and the results are catastrophic.

A couple more inches of rain could fall before Arthur finally pulls away from the area after sunset.

[Top image by SteveMimi1978 on Twitter / radar via Gibson Ridge / surface analysis via WPC]