The clean up continues this morning as widespread river, lake, pond, stream, street and basement flooding is still occurring and will likely continue into early next week in some locations. And while many rivers have already crested (reached their highest level), there are a few exceptions. For the current river levels and forecast river conditions, visit the Northeast River Forecast Center homepage. Here are some flooding facts and information from this historic event courtesy of the National Weather Service (NWS) in Taunton, MA.

• At the Pawtuxet River in Rhode Island, Record-shattering flooding has occurred. The river crested at 20.79 feet Wednesday morning, and has begun its slow recession. The previous record stage was 15 feet from the storm just 2 weeks ago. Flooding is expected to continue until at least Saturday. Records at the Cranston, RI gauge date back to 1939.
• At the Blackstone River in Rhode Island, major flooding has already occurred, with the river cresting at 14.5 feet Wednesday morning. This is the worst flooding since October 2005.
• The Neponset River at Norwood, MA has experienced major flooding with a crest of 11.15 feet. This crest is below the record crest of 14.65 feet which occurred in August 1955 with Connie and Diane.
• Record flooding has already occurred at the Sudbury River at Saxonville, MA with the river cresting at 13.99 feet Wednesday evening. This breaks the previous record of 13.47 feet set back in April 1987.
• Major flooding of the Taunton river at Bridgewater has occurred, and the river is cresting this morning at 14.97 feet. This also beats the previous record of 14.5 feet set earlier this month.

Now, we focus our attention on the beautiful stretch of weather that lay ahead. It’s all thanks to high pressure building into New England, which will stay put over the next several days. Morning clouds will gradually break apart today leading to increasing sunshine that will last through the weekend!

In terms of temperatures, it’s all about location. Highs across the interior will rise into the 60s today and the 70s tomorrow through Sunday. Someone in western New England may even hit 80 degrees! With water temperatures in the lower 40s and local sea breezes taking hold, it’s easy to see understand why the coolest spots across New England will be at our coastlines. If you live along the shore, expect highs in the 50s today and 60s tomorrow. As high pressure slides a little further offshore, the southwest wind should become strong enough to fend off the sea breeze this weekend, allowing temperatures to rise to around 70 (exception will be the Cape & Islands). Maybe not quite warm enough for the beach, but pleasant nonetheless.

The official start to spring may still be 15 days away, but the feeling of spring will certainly be in the air this weekend! Don’t put away the winter gear just yet though…the mercury will dip into the 20s tonight under clear skies, so you’ll need the jacket, gloves and hat if you’re headed out. Under tomorrow’s virtually cloudless sky, we’ll be breaking out the shades (and maybe even the shorts!) as temperatures climb into the 50s.

Ok, maybe not the shorts, although I’m hoping to play some pick up bball on Saturday, so we’ll see.

A few clouds will dot the sky on Sunday, especially in northern New England, where we may see a sprinkle or flurry along the Canadian border. Temperatures will once again rise well into the 40s and lower 50s, so enjoy!

A cold front will cross the region on Monday with little fanfare, but what it will do is knock the temperatures back down to seasonable levels on Tuesday. And that’s where they’ll remain through the end of next week. Otherwise, a relatively quiet weather pattern will persist with no major storms on the horizon.

Have a great weekend!