A First Alert Weather Day remains in place for this evening and tonight as severe thunderstorms are expected to roll back into the TV5 area after a brief break in the rain. Showers should end for the entire region by 8 to 9 AM today, but the weather turns stormy again around 8 to 9 PM.
The evening round carries the risk of strong wind gusts, large hail and even an isolated tornado, with storms expected to bring all forms of severe weather. Highs will still reach about 73 degrees this afternoon, far above the normal high of 55 degrees for April 14, and southwesterly winds are expected to hold at 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
What makes tonight more concerning is the rainfall that can pile up fast. More severe thunderstorm warnings are expected than on Monday night, and heavy rain remains a major threat. Some areas between Saginaw and Flint could pick up an additional two inches, while the Tittabawassee River is forecast to crest in a similar manner to Easter Weekend, raising the chance of road closures.
The threat does not end when the storms move out, either. Rain is possible in periods heading into Wednesday morning, leaving Wednesday damp, Thursday with scattered showers, Friday as the driest day of the week and more rain arriving Saturday before a cooldown on Sunday.
The concern now is not just the storms in one night but what they do to ground that is already saturated. Flooding worries continue on rivers, streams and low-lying areas this morning, with flash flood warnings, flood advisories and a flood watch already posted up north. That makes the next round of storms more dangerous than a typical April outbreak, especially if the heaviest rain falls over the same areas twice.
Forecasters expect the storms to be over by 2 AM, if not earlier, but the water problems may last much longer than the weather itself. In a stretch of unsettled days, tonight is the one most likely to turn brief rain into a new flood threat.
