WHNT Weather

Flood Watch Until 7:00 am Tuesday

Posted on: 12:13 pm, September 17, 2012, by Jennifer Watson

Heavy rain continues to fall around northwest Alabama, stretching northeast into southern middle Tennessee. Some areas have already received 1-2″ of rain or more, with rain expected to continued over the next 18-24 hours or longer, therefore the National Weather Service in Huntsville has decided to issue a Flood Watch starting at noon today and lasting until 7:00 am Tuesday morning. Another 1-3″ of rainfall is possible, with locally higher amounts of 4-5″. Almost the entire Tennessee Valley is included in this watch, which also stretches northeastward into the eastern half of Tennessee. Also a Flood Advisory is in effect for counties along and west of I-65 in southern middle Tennessee until 5:30 pm early this evening. The image below shows the counties under a Flood Watch in the darker green and the lighter green are counties under the Flood Advisory.

A Flood Watch means that conditions are favorable for potential flooding, be aware of your surroundings and pay close attention to quickly rising water levels. Ponding on roadways is also a concern as well, so use extra caution on roadways. Rain is expected to increase in coverage across the Tennessee Valley throughout today and continue into tonight. Heavy rain is the biggest concern, but an embedded strong storm or two within the heavy showers not out of the question, mainly due to gusty wind. Below is the latest radar image.