EVANSVILLE – The National Weather Service said Tuesday afternoon that the threat of a tornado in Evansville on Wednesday evening has been raised. This adds another level of worry to a weather pattern that was already very dangerous.
A “moderate risk” for severe weather has been declared for Evansville and large parts of Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois, and Southwestern Indiana. This is the fourth-highest level on a five-point scale. That’s what it means: large storms are “likely.” It’s the same name that the area had when an EF-2 tornado hit Oakland City and other places earlier this month.
The NWS’s most recent report says that there is a chance of a tornado, hail, and strong winds from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. As the storms move from west to east, Evansville will be in the middle of that.
But that’s only the beginning of what could be four dangerous days. “Significant and potentially life-threatening flash flooding” could happen from Wednesday to Saturday. It might rain up to 15 inches in some parts of the Tri-State.
The National Weather Service (NWS) said that Evansville would get anywhere from 10 to 15 inches of rain on Tuesday morning. They took that back to 8 to 10 inches on Tuesday afternoon.
The NWS gave an unclear but still scary possible schedule for the storms. Here’s how things might work in the system.
Wednesday
Between 6 and 10 p.m., the bad storms are most likely to hit Southwestern Indiana. Their paths could be harmed by hail, strong winds, and storms.
On the other hand, it could rain anywhere from 1.5 to 3 inches between Wednesday afternoon and Wednesday night, which could cause flash floods.
Thursday
As long as it rains, there is a chance that bad weather will continue.
The NWS said on Tuesday morning that there was at least a 40% chance of heavy rain on Thursday. They said that flash flooding is “likely.”
Friday
This is where things get even more tricky. The NWS said that the front that is stuck out over the area could “slosh back,” which would mean that more bad weather could come.
What the NWS report says is that “flash flooding will almost certainly be ongoing.” “May have received up to 6-8” (total) by the evening.”
