More than inch of rain fell over most of Western Massachusetts since Tuesday, convincing A.J. Donais of Holyoke that it was finally safe to start planting that backyard garden. Umbrella in hand, he was browsing the plant racks at the Home Depot open-air nursery yesterday in West Springfield. We've needed rain so badly, and now we're getting too much of it. At the Union-News weather station in downtown Springfield, nearly an inch of rain fell by sunset yesterday after .74 inches fell Tuesday. At Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee about a .4 inches fell by sunset yesterday, in addition to .83 inches Tuesday.
Police believe the minor accident was related to the weather.
One person was taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital with minor injuries and was released, police said. No other information was available. Mainly, though, the rain was a welcome event, relieving the region from a drought that had persisted since early April. And this won't run off. An inch of rain like this in 30 minutes in a thunderstorm would just run right off if the ground is dry and dusty.