Flash Flood Warning MSP Metro Until 8 PM

Flash Flood Warning For Northern/Western Metro. The local NWS office has issued a flash flood warning until 8 pm this evening - a slow moving band of T-storms may drop some 1-3"+ rainfall amounts on the metro area, the best chance of street/stream flooding north/west of the downtowns. The NWS is predicting some rainfall amounts of 2-4"/hour (which seems a bit excessive to me), but I'm deferring to the local NWS on this one. Plan on extra-slow commutes over the next few hours - if you live in a flood-prone region stay alert and be ready to move to safety. More details:

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN MN
456 PM CDT TUE AUG 16 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE TWIN CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  ANOKA COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  EAST CENTRAL MEEKER COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  ISANTI COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHERN AND CENTRAL HENNEPIN COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  NORTHWESTERN CHISAGO COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  SHERBURNE COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHEASTERN BENTON COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  SOUTHERN MILLE LACS COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL MINNESOTA...
  WRIGHT COUNTY IN CENTRAL MINNESOTA...

* UNTIL 800 PM CDT

* AT 452 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE    
  WARNED AREA. RAINFALL RATES OF 2 TO 4 INCHES PER HOUR CAN BE     
  EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS. THIS WILL BE OCCURING DURING THE     
  EVENING RUSH HOUR.

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  BUFFALO...CAMBRIDGE...MINNEAPOLIS...NORTH BRANCH...PLYMOUTH...
  PRINCETON...ALBERTVILLE...ANDOVER...ANNANDALE...ANOKA...BECKER...
  BIG LAKE...BLAINE...BODUM...BROOKLYN CENTER...BROOKLYN PARK...
  CEDAR...CHAMPLIN...CIRCLE PINES...CLEAR LAKE...CLEARWATER...
  COKATO...COLUMBIA HEIGHTS...COON RAPIDS...CORCORAN...CRYSTAL...
  DALBO...DASSEL...DAYTON AND DELANO.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS IMMINENT. MOST FLOOD RELATED DEATHS OCCUR
IN AUTOMOBILES. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS WATER COVERED BRIDGES...
DIPS... OR LOW WATER CROSSINGS. NEVER TRY TO CROSS A FLOWING
STREAM... EVEN A SMALL ONE...ON FOOT OR IN A VEHICLE.

 

NWS Doppler Radar at 5 pm showing very heavy showers/T-storms pushing into the metro area, and the portion of the metro that is under a flash flood warning.