Massive amounts of rain have fallen in the Evansville area on Saturday morning, and the National Weather Service has issued an unusual level of a flash flood warning for the Vanderburgh and Warrick counties.
Labeling the situation as “life-threatening” flash flooding, the weather service said between 3 and 5 inches of rain had fallen by just after 8 a.m., and that another 2 to 3 inches are possible in those areas this morning.
Weather warnings sounded on cellphones in Vanderburgh and Warrick counties at 8:12 a.m., with an advisory that people should “not attempt travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.”
The heavy rain is falling on an area where the ground already has been saturated by downpours that happened Thursday evening and Friday. In Evansville, for example, the airport recorded 1.3 inches of rain Thursday and 1.72 inches of rain Friday. Locally higher amounts were reported in other parts of the city.
Most creeks, streams and ditches were filled even before Saturday morning’s storms.
In Saturday morning’s storms, rainfall rates of once inch in as little as 15-20 minutes reported.
“This will lead to numerous roads becoming flooded and impassable,” the weather service said in a briefing at 8:37 a.m.
Vanderburgh County’s Emergency Management Agency reported “numerous” roads closed and that fire department crews were assisting at least a dozen vehicles stuck in floodwaters. There were also reports of water up to the level of mailboxes in a mobile home park near St. Joe Avenue and Mill Road.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Evansville weather radar
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: Massive downpours lead to flash flooding in Evansville area
Reporting by Ryan Reynolds, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ryan Reynolds, Evansville Courier & Press | USA TODAY Network
