Torrential downpours that dumped between 7 and 8 inches of rain in Keene left the southwestern city with a dozen closed roads Wednesday morning, some buckled by flooding and others still impassable by high waters.

At 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, portions of seven state roads in five western communities were closed due to flooding, according to the state Department of Traffic Management Center.

Department of Transportation spokesman Bill Boynton said that Route 9 through Keene was reopened to two-way traffic as of 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The closed roads include Route 12A in Alstead, where one lane is closed; Route 10 in Gilsum, from Keene to Marlow, which is completely shut down; Surrey Road in Gilsum; Sullivan Center Road, between Jenkins and Route 10 in Keene, in Sullivan is closed; Route 12 in Westmoreland, between Goodrum and Wyman roads, to Keene, is closed.

Kurt Blomquist, director of Keene's Public Works, said about a dozen roads remained closed Wednesday morning to general traffic because flood waters washed them out or they are under water, making them impassable. Water still overtops some bridges, he said.

Roads with substantial damage include Belevedere, Gunn, East Surry, Darling, Wyman and Old Walpole. City officials are evaluating the damage, but Blomquist said it does not appear to be as severe as in 2005 when the city was deluged from the remnants of Hurricane Irene.

He said about 7 to 8 inches of rain poured down on the city overnight Tuesday.
Blomquist said towns north of Keene — Sullivan, Gilsum and Alstead — were harder hit.

As the storm moved in, tornado warnings were issued late Tuesday afternoon in Cheshire County in the Alstead area, but no sightings or serious damage were reported.


An earlier story follows:


Powerful thunderstorms rumbled across the state Tuesday, bringing with them hail, heavy rains and high winds, scattered flooding and even two tornado warnings.

Many Cheshire County communities in the state's southwestern corner were stranded when heavy rains and flooding washed out state roads and major thoroughfares, Cheshire County Sheriff Richard Foote said.

He estimated about 15 major thoroughfares and state highways — most located in communities north of Keene — were washed out by rising rivers and streams or heavy rains as of 9 p.m. and had to be closed to keep people from driving off them.

No injuries were reported, he said.

State police and transportation crews were helping local and county officials to try to reopen the roads and assess damage in the communities cut off by the road closures, Foote said.

Cheshire and Sullivan counties along the state's western border appeared to have been pummeled worst by hail measuring up to 1-1/4 inches in diameter and gusting winds that brought down trees and power lines, National Weather Service meteorologist John Jensenius said Tuesday.

The region also had heavy rains, severe thunderstorms and two tornado warnings issued for Cheshire County during the mid-afternoon, he said. There were no reports of tornadoes touching down by last night, he said.

Scattered flooding was reported in several Cheshire County communities last night, including Keene, Alstead, Surry and Westmoreland.

Portions of Coos, Carroll and Grafton counties in northern New Hampshire were under a flash flood warning Tuesday as the region was forecast to receive two to five inches of rain in addition to the two to four inches that fell the night before, Jensenius said.

Public Service of New Hampshire reported 2,780 customers in the southwestern and western portions of the state were without power at 9 p.m.

- KATHY MARCHOCKI