Flood watch in effect for all of southern Idaho

IDAHO FALLS – As showers and thunderstorms head into eastern Idaho Tuesday night, the National Weather Service in Pocatello is issuing a flood watch for the area.

The flood watch includes all of southern Idaho and is in effect through Wednesday evening.

“Excessive rainfall could lead to runoff that may not be readily absorbed into the ground, causing localized flooding or flash flooding,” the NWS says in a Tuesday afternoon weather briefing.

Forecasters are predicting strong gusty winds in conjunction with thunderstorms, with more than an inch of rain in some locations. Small hail is also a possibility.

“An unusually moist monsoonal air mass will lead to very efficient rain that could see showers and thunderstorms producing over an inch per hour rain rates,” meteorologists say.

In the eastern Idaho region, the Pocatello, Idaho Falls and Rexburg areas will see anywhere from 1.32 to 1.38 inches. Up to 1.47 inches is expected in St. Anthony.

Farther south in McCammon and Grace, up to 1.4 inches is possible. Graphics from the NWS show the amount of rainfall gradually decreases towards Downey, Montpelier and Preston.

Forecasters says areas around burn scars, steep terrain and clear agricultural fields are most susceptible to flooding.

“Any mitigation efforts to clear drains or paths of runoff should be done now to lessen the threat of runoff causing flooding of infrastructure,” the NWS says.

Additional information from the National Weather Service is in the graphics below.

The latest conditions and a complete seven-day forecast in your community are available here.