BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) -
The severe weather that caused tornado warnings Thursday morning has passed through the area, but the threat of additional rainfall remains.
The tornado warning for Ascension, East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes expired around 8:45 a.m. A flash flood warning was issued for Ascension, Assumption, Iberville, Lafourche, Livingston, St. James and St. John the Baptist. It is in effect until 1:15 p.m.
A tornado watch remains in effect for the following Louisiana parishes:
Ascension
Assumption
East Baton Rouge
East Feliciana
Iberville
Livingston
Pointe Coupee
St. Mary
West Baton Rouge
West Feliciana
The following Mississippi counties are also included:
Amite
Wilkinson
The tornado watch is scheduled to last until 2 p.m., but that watch will be canceled for areas as the line pushes by.
Meteorologists said an additional 1" to 3" of rain could fall as an advancing cold front pushes through the WAFB viewing area. Thursday's rains will likely begin before sunrise, making for a very messy morning commute. And, with another round of significant rain ahead, expect to see some notable adjustments to the river forecasts.
The National Weather Service in New Orleans has issued a flash flood warning for Iberville, Pointe Coupee and West Baton Rouge parishes. It is scheduled to remain in effect until 5:45 a.m.
A Flood Warning has been issued for Livingston Parish until 8:39 p.m. Thursday.
Officials said widespread heavy rainfall has already occurred with amounts of 4" to 6" reported. Localized flash flooding has also been reported and some area rivers have risen above flood stage. Another 2" to 4" are expected with localized higher amounts. The locally higher amounts will be where lines of showers and thunderstorms can form and train over the same regions providing multiple rounds of heavy rain.
Forecasters added since the ground is already very saturated, additional persistent moderate to heavy rainfall will likely cause potentially serious flash flooding. Many rivers are already above flood stage and more heavy rainfall may result in additional rises.
A flash flood watch continues through Thursday afternoon for the following Louisiana parishes:
Ascension
Assumption
East Baton Rouge
East Feliciana
Iberville
Lafourche
Livingston
Pointe Coupee
St. Helena
St. James
St. John the Baptist
Tangipahoa
Terrebonne
West Baton Rouge
West Feliciana
The following Mississippi counties also fall into this watch zone:
Amite
Pike
Wilkinson
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