Flood Watch

FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ST LOUIS MO
430 PM CDT TUE APR 16 2013

...STRONG STORM TO BRING WIDESPREAD SIGNIFICANT RAINS TO THE
NATIONS MIDSECTION...

.A POWERFUL EARLY SPRING STORM WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL
ACROSS CENTRAL AND EASTERN MISSOURI...AS WELL AS SOUTHWEST SECTIONS
OF ILLINOIS. THE LATEST GUIDANCE IS INDICATING BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR
INCHES OF RAIN FROM WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT..AND
THIS WILL BE IN ADDITION TO ANY RAIN THAT OCCURS TONIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY. SINCE PARTS OF NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL MISSOURI AND WEST
CENTRAL ILLINOIS ARE ALREADY BE SATURATED FROM EARLIER
RAINS...FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A VERY REAL THREAT.

IN ADDITION TO FLASH FLOODING...SIGNIFICANT RISES ARE EXPECTED ON
AREA RIVERS. CONTINGENCY RIVER FORECASTS...USING THREE DAYS OF
FORECAST RAINFALL RATHER THAN THE OFFICIAL ONE DAY OF FORECAST
RAINFALL... REFLECT A GREATER POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT FLOODING
IN NORTHEASTERN MISSOURI AND WEST CENTRAL ILLINOIS. THE MOST
LIKELY SCENARIO ON THE KASKASKIA...MERAMEC...BOURBEUSE...BIG...
MARIES...AND BLACK RIVERS WOULD YIELD MINOR FLOODING ON THESE
STREAMS. MEANWHILE...MODERATE FLOODING APPEARS LIKELY ON SEVERAL
STREAMS FURTHER NORTH... INCLUDING THE BRANCHES OF THE FABIUS AND
SALT RIVERS...THE CUIVRE RIVER...AND THE NORTH RIVER.

IN ADDITION...THERE IS ALSO HIGH POTENTIAL OF MAJOR FLOODING ON
THE LARGER RIVERS BY THE WEEKEND...PARTICULARLY THE ILLINOIS AND
MISSISSIPPI RIVERS.