Flood watch in effect for Sunday; winter returns

National Weather Service forecasters have issued a Flood Watch for most of the Miami Valley until 6 pm Sunday. In Ohio, the watch affects Auglaize, Darke, Hardin, Logan, Mercer, Miami, Preble and Shelby counties.

In Indiana Fayette, Franklin, Ripley, Union and Wayne counties are included in the watch.

There were some Severe Thunderstorm Warnings early Sunday morning for Auglaize, Darke and Mercer counties. Those were all expired by 3:30 a.m.

A cold front will push slowly across the area Sunday. Rain showers will last through most of the day, and a few thunderstorms are possible as well. Forecasters are calling for an additional one to two inches of rain through the afternoon. They added that the ground is already saturated, so there will be a rapid runoff into area streams.

Storm Center 7 Meteorologist McCall Vrydaghs said there could be a few rumbles of thunder by Sunday morning.

For Sunday, it will be breezy with rain. Vrydaghs said that temperatures will fall from the 50s southeast and the 40s northwest to the 30s for everyone.

“It appears we will see steady and heavy rain to start Sunday, a bit of a lull midday with lighter showers, then a secondary wave will bring some more moderate rain late afternoon” said Vrydaghs.

For Sunday evening, she said that showers will taper off. But she added that any precipitation left over could change to light snow or sleet. Vrydaghs said no accumulation is expected.

“Minor flooding is possible for small creeks, streams and small rivers, especially northwest, so a flood watch is in effect for Randolph, Wayne, Union, Mercer, Auglaize, Logan, Shelby, Darke, Miami and Preble counties through Sunday afternoon” she said.

Vrydaghs said that rain will total one to two inches, with three inches possible near embedded thunderstorms. She added that any roadways still wet or left untreated overnight Sunday will likely freeze, resulting in icy spots Monday morning. Temperatures will drop into the 20s.

Vrydaghs said the rest of the week should remain dry with temperatures in the 20s, reaching highs in the 30s by afternoon.