Flood Watches and Warning issued in southeast Nebraska during overnight storms

FAIRBURY, NE — Folks in southeast Nebraska are waking up to very wet conditions after storms hit the area overnight. 

Just before 4:00 a.m. Thursday morning, the National Weather Service issued an Areal Flood Watch for several counties in southeast Nebraska. This includes Jefferson, Gage, Saline, Seward, Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee and Richardson counties.

The watch continues until 7:00 p.m. Thursday. 

The National Weather Service says ongoing heavy rainfall in the overnight hours led to the expansion of the watch which originally covered the Omaha metro area. They say excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood prone areas. 

According to the NWS, rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches had already been observed before the watch was issued. 

In addition to the watch, Jefferson County was placed in a Flash Flood Warning until 8 a.m. Thursday. 

When issued at about 4:30 a.m., the NWS said the area had already seen 1 to 3 inches of rain with more storms on the way. Additional rainfall totals of 1-2 inches are expected by the time the warning ends in the mid-morning.

Officials urged the message of "turn around, don't drown," when coming up on flooded roads.