Heavy Rains Close I-49 This Morning

State Police are currently working to close I-49 between I-10 and Opelousas because of water over the roadway. Travelers are advised to stay off the roads for the next several hours. Several vehicles have been reported submerged by the fast rising flood waters.

The lightning has been flashing and the thunder has been rumbling almost all morning in parts of Acadiana. Some parts of northern Lafayette and surrounding parishes have had unofficial reports of 3 to 5 inches of rainfall since yesterday.

The bad news is the potential for more very heavy rainfall is in the forecast. The threat of severe weather according to the Storm Prediction Center is less than it was yesterday. The area is in the marginal zone which still means severe weather is possible.

The current radar scan from the National Weather Service is suggesting there could be "training" of thunderstorms over the next several hours. That means that heavier storms will continue to pass over the same areas soaked areas much like a train running down the track

The largest threat most of us will face over the next 24- 48 hours is flooding. Flash flood watches and flash flood warnings have been posted for much of the area until at least Monday afternoon.

This could lead to ponding of water on roadways and highways. You can see the latest highway information from the Department of Transportation here. As you might imagine roadways such as Ambassador Caffery Parkway, Congress Street, and some of the other major roadways through Lafayette will most likely have water across the outside lanes if not all the way across the roadway during these very heavy downpours.

The forecast calls for rain chances to be very high the rest of today and most of Monday. There should finally be a break in the rain threat by Monday night. Tuesday will hold a slight risk of rain. The reward for all of these wet and sloppy headaches is a beautiful forecast for Wednesday through the rest of the week.