On Alert for widespread severe storms Wednesday evening and widespread flooding through the end of the week
Upgraded to a level 4 out of 5 for severe storms.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - High pressure will slip off to our east this evening. An area of low pressure will swing a cold front through the Tri-State Wednesday evening. This front will initiate potentially widespread severe thunderstorms. All hazards will be possible including large hail, damaging wind gusts, and tornadoes. Multiple rounds of heavy rain and storms will lift through the Tri-State Thursday through Saturday bringing the risk of widespread and potentially historic flooding.
For the rest of our Tuesday anticipate mostly sunny skies through the afternoon and evening, temperatures will climb towards the upper 50s topping out around 60. Clouds will increase overnight ahead of Wednesday’s severe weather outbreak. Overnight lows will drop into the low to mid-50s.
FIRST ALERT WEDNESDAY:
The first half of Wednesday will feature mostly cloudy skies with some breaks of sun towards the afternoon. While the majority of the day on Wednesday will remain mostly quiet we could get a few stray showers during the morning and afternoon ahead of the main line of severe storms Wednesday evening. The SPC has upgraded the majority of the Tri-State to a level 4 out of 5 risk for severe storms. This means widespread severe storms are likely. All hazards will be possible including large hail up to 2″+ in diameter, damaging wind gusts of up to 75 mph or greater, strong tornadoes of potentially EF2 strength or greater, and widespread flooding. Now is the time to prepare for all of these hazards and to make sure you have a plan in place in the event you are placed under a warning. The exact timing of these storms will vary up until they begin to form however it looks like storms will begin to push into the Tri-State after 6 PM in southern Illinois and continue to push eastward across the entire Tri-State through around midnight.
FIRST ALERT THURSDAY-SATURDAY:
After the line of storms passes through the area Wednesday night, the cold front will stall along the Ohio River. This will continue to guide multiple rounds of showers and storms up and through the area Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The exact location of the heaviest rain remains a bit unclear. However, models continue to indicate as much as 8-10″ of rain may fall across the Tri-State with isolated amounts of up to a foot or more where storms continue to train over the same areas. This amount of rain will fall over several days. This much rainfall, if it were to come to fruition, would likely lead to historic widespread flooding. Please prepare for the threat of flooding, especially if you live in a flood-prone area. Areas that don’t typically flood will likely flood with this amount of rain in the forecast! Have a plan to move to higher ground if you are placed under a flood warning. There is also potential for some of the storms to be strong or even severe. However widespread severe weather is not expected. The biggest threat Thursday through Saturday will be flooding.
Copyright 2025 WFIE. All rights reserved.
