Flood Warnings Issued For Central, Western Mass.

Near-constant rain for three straight days has prompted the National Weather Service to issue a flood warning for central and western Massachusetts.

Flood warnings were issued Thursday for Worcester, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden and Berkshire counties as rivers in the region approached flood stage and caused some minor flooding.

The National Weather Service reports that the Connecticut River has reached flood stage in Northampton, causing some road closures. The Nashua River in Fitchburg, the Housatonic River in Great Barrington and the Connecticut in Montague are also near flood stage.

The state Transportation Department says Route 146 in Millbury near the Massachusetts Turnpike is down to one lane in each direction because of water covering the road.

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency spokesman Peter Judge says eastern Massachusetts should not see many problems.

"The major issues we're looking at, particularly with river flooding and bodies of water flooding, is really central and western Massachusetts, and a big part of that is because this is piling on to what we got from [Tropical Storm] Irene a week or so ago," Judge said.

The rains are being brought by the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

"Falmouth, nearly four inches of rain," said meteorologist Mark Rosenthal midday Thursday. "Fairhaven on the Cape, nearly six inches of rain. Western Massachusetts, the Berkshires again, very serious flooding, six to eight inches of rain."

With reporting by The Associated Press and the WBUR Newsroom