PEORIA, Ill. – Drivers from Peoria and Bloomington to Champaign and Danville could find roads underwater Wednesday evening as thunderstorms drop 1 to 2 inches of rain, with isolated pockets reaching 2 to 5 inches.
According to the National Weather Service in Lincoln, a Flood Watch remains in effect until 1 a.m. CDT Thursday across 16 central, east-central and west-central Illinois counties. The watch includes Peoria, McLean, Champaign, Vermilion, Macon, Tazewell, Woodford, Knox and surrounding counties.
A narrow west-to-east band of showers and thunderstorms was developing across central Illinois Wednesday afternoon and is expected to continue into the evening. The rainfall comes after very heavy rain during the past week, leaving the region more vulnerable to rapid runoff and flash flooding.
Peoria, Pekin, Bloomington-Normal, Champaign-Urbana, Decatur, Danville, Galesburg, Lincoln, Canton and Monticello are among the communities under the watch. Flooding could affect urban drainage areas, low-lying streets and locations near rivers, creeks and streams.
Drivers should avoid roads covered by water and use alternate routes. Residents in flood-prone areas should monitor nearby waterways and be prepared to move to higher ground if water begins rising.
The Flood Watch remains active until 1 a.m. Thursday. Flood Warnings could follow Wednesday evening where thunderstorms produce the highest 2-to-5-inch rainfall totals.
