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Flood Watch issued for much of the area

Posted at 5:03 PM, Feb 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-18 17:03:11-05

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The National Weather Service (NWS) in Grand Rapids has issued a Flood Watch for most of the FOX 17 viewing area, beginning at noon Monday and lasting until 5PM Wednesday. The NWS office in northern Indiana has yet to issue such a watch for our Indiana state line counties, but heavy rainfall is also possible in these areas.

The first period of heavy rain is expected to come in on Monday afternoon:

Future Track HD shows some yellow and orange coloring showing up in spots, which suggests the possibility of thunderstorms.

Another round of heavy rain with embedded thunderstorms will move in early afternoon on Tuesday, according to Future Track HD:

The North American Model is forecasting up to 3″ of rain along the Indiana state line, with amounts totaling 1″ to 2″ elsewhere through Tuesday afternoon:

The European Model is forecasting a general 1″ to 2.5″ of rain across the area for the same time period:

More rain is expected Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, then a cold front will sweep through the area from the northwest. This will bring an end to the rainfall along with colder temperatures.

All of this rain falling on frozen ground will overwhelm some rivers and streams across the area. Plus, melting snow and ice jams will further contribute to the excessive runoff into local waterways. If you live near a river, stream, or creek etc. be sure to pay attention to the latest weather information on FOX 17, and be ready to move to higher ground if floodwaters threaten. We will keep you updated as this situation unfolds.