FLOODING CONCERNS RETURN TUES. INTO WED.

Written by: Brian Neudorff

Over the weekend, 1.5" to even 2.5" inches of rain fell in western New York. In Rochester, NY we received 1.98" last Saturday & Sunday nights, and more is on the way.

A potent storm system will make its way out of the upper Midwest & upper Great Lakes into Canada today and tonight. This will cause blizzard conditions across the upper Midwest, with flooding rain across the Midwest and lower Great lakes.

Many places from Illinois through Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Western New York are dealing with swelling rivers and creeks. We still have flood warnings for Genesee and Monroe counties, these warning will continue into Wednesday. There is also a flood watch in place for all of Western New York because an addition 0.75" to 1.5" of rain is possible across the region. This will only make problems for high rivers & creeks with very saturated surfaces across the region.

If you encounter flooded roadways the best advice is just turn around and find an alternate route. Never try to drive through or cross flooded roadways. You can not tell how deep the water is or whether or not the road is still there or been washed away. It only takes 6 inches of fast moving water to knock an adult off their feet, and only a foot of fast moving water to carry and wash a vehicle of the road.

To get the latest on flood warnings and watches you can log onto the weather section of RochesterHomepage.net. There is also a new interactive radar you can use to see what is happening in your own backyard. I also recommend the Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service from the National Weather Service. This is a great tool to monitor river and creek levels as well as see forecast on when those rivers and streams may reach or surpass flood stage.