Every school child for decades learned that “April showers bring May flowers,” but some of those flowers might end up under water at the current rate of rainfall in Southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana. In fact, there’s a Flash Flood Watch currently in effect through tomorrow morning as the heavy rains continue to pelt the region this evening.
The National Weather Service in Northern Indiana has issued a Flash Flood Watch for portions of Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan, including the following areas:
In Northern Indiana these counties are impacted:
- Elkhart
- Fulton
- La Porte
- Marshall
- Pulaski
- St. Joseph
- Starke
- White
In Southwest Michigan these counties are included in the Watch Area:
- Berrien
- Cass
From 7 PM EDT /6 PM CDT/ this evening (Tuesday, April 30th, 2019) through Wednesday morning, May 1st, 2019.
A warm front lifting into the area will provide a focus for showers and thunderstorms tonight into Wednesday morning. The potential exists for 1 to 2 inches of rain tonight into early Wednesday with localized amounts in excess of 2 inches.
This heavy rainfall combined with saturated soils from recent rainfall will produce a potential of flooding and flash flooding tonight through Wednesday morning.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS:
A Flash Flood Watch means that conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding. Flash flooding is a very dangerous situation.
On the National Weather Service webpage from Northern Indiana, the update shared at 3:45pm this afternoon indicated that an average of 1.5 to 3 inches of rain had already fallen with some areas getting higher amounts than that. They report that heavy rainfall rates are expected to continue overnight tonight, with 1 to 2 more inches on average and locally heavier amounts in some areas.
The weather service also cautions to never drive into a flooded road condition, just turn around and find another route, because you never know how deep or swiftly moving the water might be at any particular spot in the road, even if you think you know the lay of the land well, and always honor barricades — they have been erected for a decided safety purpose to protect you.
