Nearly 11 million Americans were under flood alerts Saturday evening as a dangerous “ring of fire” weather pattern unleashed widespread heavy rainfall and flash flooding across the eastern two-thirds of the country.
The Washington, D.C. metro area, including suburban Maryland communities like Chevy Chase and Silver Spring, was placed under a flash flood emergency until 9 p.m. ET — a rare and life-threatening designation issued by the National Weather Service (NWS). Officials called it a “particularly dangerous situation,” warning that flash flooding was already underway.
Between 3 to 5 inches of rain had already fallen in the region by Saturday evening, with another 1 to 2 inches possible. A broader flood watch remained in effect for the D.C. area through 10 p.m. ET.
Elsewhere, flood watches extended across parts of the Midwest and Southeast, including:
- Iowa, western Illinois, and northeastern Missouri through Sunday
- Virginia and northeastern North Carolina through Saturday night
These areas could see between 2 to 4 inches of rain, with even higher localized totals.
In the Ohio Valley, flash flood warnings were in effect across southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and northern Kentucky, where heavy thunderstorms had already moved through. Rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour were reported in some areas.
The NWS placed parts of western and central Kentucky, southern Indiana, and southeastern Illinois under a moderate risk (level 3 of 4) for excessive rainfall Saturday evening, warning of potential totals between 3 to 5 inches.
The flooding threat has been intensified by already saturated ground conditions and abundant atmospheric moisture, increasing runoff and making flash flooding more likely.
Forecasters warned that the flooding would be highly localized — not every area will be impacted — but the threat of dangerous rainfall and flash flooding remains elevated across a broad swath of the eastern U.S. through Saturday night. Residents in at-risk areas are urged to stay alert and avoid driving through flooded roads.
