Monday's Rain a Welcome Change in Westwood

Rain and wind hit Westwood hard on Monday, soaking the town to the bone.

Commuters travelled up and down High Street and Washington Street, splashing through curb-side puddles, while areas normally filled with residents on warm summer days – like the School Street playground and Buckmaster Pond – remained empty and desolate.

But with July having been the hottest month of the summer, the storm was in many ways a blessing for Westwood - including the Westwood Fire Department.

"Everything was getting dry," said Westwood Deputy Fire Chief Rodderick Morrison. "We've been lucky that we haven't had any brush fires in Westwood this summer. If we had had one, it would have been rough."

Westwood was among many towns in the region to have been affected by a Heat Advisory in early July, when temperatures sat at around 100 degrees.

But even once the advisory passed, the oppressive humidity remained.

Westwood typically has seven or eight brush fires every summer, Morrison added. This year, though, the fire department has only battled two since May, and they were of minimal size. (To be considered a brush fire, it must expand least a quarter of an acre in size.)

"This year it's been really quiet, compared to other years," Morrison said.

The department did also address a number of mulch fires, but those by nature aren't nearly as threatening as brush fires, Morrison said.

And while there hasn't much to ward off in the way of brush fires, Morrison said the department had little to complain about in regards to Monday's rain.

"As much as we hate to see the rain the last week of the summer, it's much better for the woods and the grass," he said

But while the rain may have eased things for fire officials, it hasn't done much to lift water restrictions in the town, which were set by the Dedham-Westwood Water District in July.

"We'll still leave it in place," said DWWD Executive Director Eileen Commane, referring to the restrictions in Westwood and Dedham. "Even though this is probably going to turn into a decent storm for rainfall, especially at this time of year, we're just going to leave it as is."

The rain is expected to last through Wednesday, with the sun returning on Thursday.

While there is no set date as to when the restrictions might be lifted, Commane estimated that it would probably be sometime in early September.

"The main reason to have the restrictions is to try to limit the outdoor watering, and after Labor Day a lot of people throw in the towel," Commane said. "That customarily happens."