FLOOD WATCH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA 1133 AM EST THU FEB 20 2014
...FLOODING POTENTIAL TODAY AND TONIGHT...
.RAIN TODAY COMBINED WITH MELTING SNOW WILL BRING A RISK FOR FLOODING TO THE AREA THROUGH TONIGHT. LONGER DURATION RIVER FLOODING WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE INTO THIS WEEKEND. PEOPLE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD TAKE TIME TO PREPARE NOW AND LISTEN FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
SNOW AND ICE CURRENTLY ON THE GROUND CONTAINS A LARGE QUANTITY OF STORED WATER...GENERALLY 1.0 TO 3.5 INCHES ACROSS THE REGION. THE GREATEST WATER CONTENT IS ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA AND SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN. THE COMBINATION OF WARMER TEMPERATURES THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS EVENING ALONG WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL EARLIER THIS MORNING WILL RESULT IN INCREASED RUNOFF.
WATER RUNOFF FROM THE COMBINED RAINFALL AND SNOW MELT OVER A DEEPLY FROZEN GROUND WILL LEAD TO A HEIGHTENED POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS...BASEMENTS...SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS. SIGNIFICANT RISES ALONG MAIN STEM RIVERS WILL LIKELY FOLLOW INTO THIS WEEKEND.
MANY STREAMS AND RIVERS ARE ALSO COVERED IN THICK ICE WHICH MAY BREAKUP AND INCREASE THE RISK FOR ICE JAMS AND RAPIDLY RISING WATER. THIS WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE LOCAL FLOODING POTENTIAL NEAR THESE BODIES OF WATER.
STAY ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS BY VISITING WEATHER.GOV/IWX OR LISTENING TO LOCAL MEDIA BROADCASTS.
INZ003>009-012>018-020-022>027-032>034-MIZ077>081-OHZ001-002-004- 005-015-016-024-025-210045- /O.CON.KIWX.FA.A.0001.000000T0000Z-140221T0600Z/ /00000.0.RS.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/ LA PORTE-ST. JOSEPH IN-ELKHART-LAGRANGE-STEUBEN-NOBLE-DE KALB- STARKE-PULASKI-MARSHALL-FULTON IN-KOSCIUSKO-WHITLEY-ALLEN IN- WHITE-CASS IN-MIAMI-WABASH-HUNTINGTON-WELLS-ADAMS-GRANT-BLACKFORD- JAY-BERRIEN-CASS MI-ST. JOSEPH MI-BRANCH-HILLSDALE-WILLIAMS- FULTON OH-DEFIANCE-HENRY-PAULDING-PUTNAM-VAN WERT-ALLEN OH- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...MICHIGAN CITY...LA PORTE...SOUTH BEND... MISHAWAKA...NEW CARLISLE...WALKERTON...ELKHART...GOSHEN... NAPPANEE...LAGRANGE...TOPEKA...SHIPSHEWANA...ANGOLA...FREMONT... KENDALLVILLE...LIGONIER...ALBION...AUBURN...GARRETT...KNOX... NORTH JUDSON...BASS LAKE...WINAMAC...FRANCESVILLE...MEDARYVILLE... PLYMOUTH...BREMEN...CULVER...ROCHESTER...AKRON...WARSAW... WINONA LAKE...SYRACUSE...MENTONE...COLUMBIA CITY...TRI-LAKES... SOUTH WHITLEY...FORT WAYNE...NEW HAVEN...MONTICELLO...BROOKSTON... MONON...LOGANSPORT...ROYAL CENTER...PERU...GRISSOM AFB...MEXICO... WABASH...NORTH MANCHESTER...HUNTINGTON...ROANOKE...BLUFFTON... OSSIAN...DECATUR...BERNE...MARION...GAS CITY...UPLAND... HARTFORD CITY...MONTPELIER...PORTLAND...DUNKIRK...NILES... BENTON HARBOR...ST. JOSEPH...BUCHANAN...DOWAGIAC...CASSOPOLIS... MARCELLUS...STURGIS...THREE RIVERS...WHITE PIGEON...MENDON... COLDWATER...BRONSON...HILLSDALE...LITCHFIELD...JONESVILLE... BRYAN...WAUSEON...ARCHBOLD...FAYETTE...SWANTON...DEFIANCE... SHERWOOD...HICKSVILLE...NAPOLEON...DESHLER...LIBERTY CENTER... PAULDING...ANTWERP...MELROSE...OTTAWA...PANDORA...KALIDA... FORT JENNINGS...VAN WERT...DELPHOS...OHIO CITY...LIMA... SPENCERVILLE 1133 AM EST THU FEB 20 2014 /1033 AM CST THU FEB 20 2014/
...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...
THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR
* PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN AND NORTHWEST OHIO...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN NORTHERN INDIANA...ADAMS...ALLEN IN...BLACKFORD...CASS IN...DE KALB... ELKHART...FULTON IN...GRANT...HUNTINGTON...JAY...KOSCIUSKO... LA PORTE...LAGRANGE...MARSHALL...MIAMI...NOBLE...PULASKI...ST. JOSEPH IN...STARKE...STEUBEN...WABASH...WELLS...WHITE AND WHITLEY. IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN...BERRIEN...BRANCH...CASS MI... HILLSDALE AND ST. JOSEPH MI. IN NORTHWEST OHIO...ALLEN OH... DEFIANCE...FULTON OH...HENRY...PAULDING...PUTNAM...VAN WERT AND WILLIAMS.
* THROUGH LATE TONIGHT
* A COMBINATION OF MELTING SNOW...RUNOFF FROM MODERATE TO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...AND A DEEPLY FROZEN GROUND WILL LIKELY LEAD TO FLOODING THROUGH TONIGHT.
* RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 0.50 TO 1.25 INCHES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN INDIANA...SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN...AND FAR NORTHWEST OHIO THIS MORNING. AN ADDITIONAL 0.25 TO 0.50 INCHES OF RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE. ONE TO TWO INCHES OF WATER COULD BE RELEASED FROM THE SNOW ON THE GROUND AS IT MELTS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON CURRENT FORECASTS.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING DEVELOP.
