ST. LOUIS, MO — Flooding risks are returning to the Ohio Valley and Midwest this weekend, with forecasters watching Thursday through Friday night as the primary window of concern, as a 7-day future rainfall forecast through July 1 shows widespread accumulations of 3 to 4 inches or more across a corridor stretching from St. Louis and Evansville through Indianapolis, Louisville, and Cincinnati.
Heavy Rainfall Concentrated Thursday Through Friday Night
The majority of the projected 7-day rainfall totals are expected to fall within a compressed timeframe running from Thursday through Friday night, making this a fast but potentially intense rainfall event for the affected corridor. Rainfall forecast maps show the deepest totals concentrated across the Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky-Ohio border region, with values approaching and exceeding 3.49 inches already pinpointed near the Evansville and Louisville area.
The combination of heavy rainfall falling over a relatively short period raises the flooding potential significantly, particularly in areas where soils are already saturated from previous rainfall events earlier this week.
St Louis to Cincinnati Corridor Faces the Greatest Risk
The highest rainfall totals are projected across a corridor running from St. Louis and Jefferson City eastward through Evansville, Louisville, and into Cincinnati and Dayton. Dark orange and red shading on the rainfall forecast map confirms that this zone is expected to receive the most significant accumulations, with localized areas potentially seeing totals approaching or exceeding 4 inches through the end of the forecast period.
Peoria, Springfield, and Indianapolis also fall within elevated rainfall zones, while communities farther north including Chicago, Milwaukee, and Detroit are expected to see considerably lighter totals based on current forecast guidance.
Flooding Concerns Extend Into the Ohio Valley
Areas across the broader Ohio Valley, including Columbus, Cleveland, and Charleston, also show elevated rainfall projections through July 1, suggesting the flooding risk extends beyond just the immediate core zone and into a wider swath of the eastern Midwest and Appalachian foothills region.
Residents Urged to Monitor Timing Updates Closely
With the heaviest rainfall expected to fall Thursday through Friday night, forecasters are urging residents across the at-risk corridor to monitor updated timing guidance closely as forecast details continue to be refined. Flash flooding is possible in areas that receive the highest totals in the shortest timeframe…