The latest Hydrologic Outlook from the National Weather Service:
HYDROLOGIC OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORTHERN INDIANA
440 AM EST THU FEB 13 2014 /340 AM CST THU FEB 13 2014/…INCREASED FLOOD POTENTIAL INTO LATE FEBRUARY…
SEVERAL FACTORS WILL COMBINE TO CREATE AN INCREASED FLOOD RISK STARTING LATE NEXT WEEK AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE END OF FEBRUARY. WIDESPREAD SNOW AND ICE CONTAIN A LARGE QUANTITY OF STORED WATER…GENERALLY 1.5 TO 3.5 INCHES ACROSS THE REGION. A WINTRY MIX WILL DEVELOP EARLY MONDAY AND LIKELY CHANGE TO ALL RAIN BY MONDAY AFTERNOON. THIS PRECIPITATION WILL FURTHER ADD TO THE AMOUNT OF WATER LOCKED IN PLACE BY THE SNOW COVER.
A WARM-UP WILL ALSO COMMENCE NEXT WEEK AND LIKELY CONTINUE INTO THE LAST WEEK OF FEBRUARY. INCREASED RUNOFF ATOP THE FROZEN GROUND WILL LEAD TO A HEIGHTENED POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING IN LOW LYING AREAS…BASEMENTS AND SMALL STREAMS AND CREEKS. SIGNIFICANT RISES ALONG MAJOR STEM RIVERS COULD FOLLOW.
SHOULD A SIGNIFICANT RAIN EVENT OCCUR DURING THIS WARMER PERIOD…THE POTENTIAL FOR…AND THE SEVERITY OF…RESULTANT FLOODING WOULD GREATLY INCREASE. THE POTENTIAL FOR BREAK UP AND DOWNSTREAM MOVEMENT OF THICK ICE ON RIVERS WOULD INCREASE THE RISK FOR ICE JAMS TO DEVELOP AND FURTHER EXACERBATE THE FLOODING RISK.
FUTURE FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY AT THIS TIME…NOT A CERTAINTY. IF YOU LIVE IN A FLOOD PRONE AREA…NOW IS THE TIME TO PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE FLOODING. STAY ALERT TO THE LATEST FORECASTS TRENDS OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS BY VISITING WEATHER.GOV/IWX.
ADDITIONAL FLOOD AWARENESS INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE AT WEATHER.GOV/FLOODSAFETY AND READY.GOV/FLOODS.