Why have we received so much rain this month?
CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP)  It was yet another wet day in western Massachusetts on Monday. There are a few reasons why. First, rain needs a source of lift to occur, or simply speaking, rising air. Thats because as air rises it becomes unstable. We have an advancing warm front, and warm fronts push up the air ahead of it. We also have an area of low pressure which does the same thing. On top of both of those things, we also have a surge of moisture. The jet stream is carrying in moist air from the Gulf. The more moisture in the air, the higher the potential for heavy rain. However, the heavy rain isnt the only reason we have that flooding risk. It also has to do with how much rain weve had all month long. In an average July, we typically finish with just over four inches of rain in the Chicopee area. Its only July 12th, so were not even halfway into the month, and weve already had over seven inches of rain. That means the ground is saturated which increases that flooding threat.