Flooding Concerns Rise As Metro Detroit Braces For Rain

DETROIT (WWJ) - The Detroit area is bracing for rain -- and a lot of it.

A Flood Watch has been issued or a portion of southeast Michigan, including Macomb, Wayne, Oakland, Monroe, St. Clair, Lenawee, Washtenaw and Wayne.counties, in effect through Friday evening.

"We could easily see an inch or two of rain between Thursday and Friday, and some places could even pick up a little bit more than that," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Brian Thompson.

Showers will also continue overnight Friday and throughout the day Saturday. With such a large amount of rain expected to fall in a short amount of time, some areas are worried about flooding. Craig Bryson, of the Road Commission of Oakland County, said some areas are more susceptible to heavy rainfall than others.

"Some parts of Waterford Township, for example, where the water table is very high and there's a lot of wetlands, streams and lakes, are certainly more prone to flooding," he said. "But typically what we see in this kind of case is some catch basins blocked, some drain pipes that might need to be cleared out. So we're watching the calls that come in to see where people report those issues, and we're ready to go out and take care of them."

On top of the rain, it's also going to be very chilly. Thompson said temperatures will only be in the 40s for the next few days.

"Bundle up, because it's going to be very damp and the wind will be blowing as well," he said.

We should finally see the sky clear up and the sun return on Sunday, bringing temperatures up to the mid-50s. Keep an eye out for frost overnight though, with lows dipping down into the mid-30s.

Here's the local forecast from the CBS Detroit weather team:

Thursday -- Rainy and windy. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph. High 49F. Low 43F.

Friday -- Cloudy and windy at times with periods of rain. High 46F. Low 42F.

Saturday -- A few showers early, becoming a steady light rain later in the day. High 49F. Low 37F.

Sunday -- Mainly sunny. High near 55F. Low 34F.

Monday -- Mostly sunny. High 57F. Low 37F.

Know before you go: Keep it tuned to WWJ Newsradio 950 for the latest forecast during traffic and weather, every 10 minutes on the 8s. See the live, local radar now at this link.