Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain possible…
May 7th, 2012 at 8:25 am by Jamie Jarosik under Weather
We’re starting off quiet today, but we will likely get loud later this afternoon and evening, as thunderstorms move in from the west. This will be our last 80-ish day, ahead of a cold front… and then we’ll cool off for the rest of the week.
Here’s the big picture… thunderstorms with heavy rain are ongoing this morning just northwest of us:
More than 5-6 inches of rain have fallen in parts of northern Illinois and Indiana, and Flood and Flash Flood Warnings are numerous in these areas:
We may see a few spotty showers or even a thunderstorm before lunch (especially across the northern counties)…. but the best chance of strong thunderstorms will be this afternoon. The Storm Prediction Center does have us in an Elevated Risk for severe weather today, with wind being the main threat… followed by hail and the potential for an isolated tornado:
The heavy rain threat is there, too, with our precipitable water values running much higher than normal. This is the amount of water that would be possible if all the water vapor in the atmosphere above a location is condensed into liquid. It’s measured in inches… and the higher the value, the more moisture for a thunderstorm to work with… and the higher rainfall rates possible. Here is the range we are in today:
Some models even have PW values around 2″ today, so the threat of flash flooding will be there for us, too. We will keep you posted of any watches or warnings on Channel 2 and online at www.wdtn.com. Rain and thunderstorms will continue on and off tonight, as the front is somewhat a slow mover. Tomorrow morning we’ll start off with some showers, but we expect to dry out Tuesday afternoon. The cooler air will hold highs to the lower 70s on Tuesday… and then a secondary push of cool air comes in Wednesday. This may kick off a stray shower or two (especially across the northern counties)… and it will keep highs for the second half of the week in the mid to upper 60s.
