Some rain coming, but ‘relief on the horizon,’ NWS says

More rain could be coming to Central Indiana, according to the National Weather Service of Indianapolis.

Meteorologist Joseph Nield said those showers – plus potentially isolated winds gusts and higher amounts of rain – may bring a threat of flash flooding in the area. But Nield said the area has seen improvements since historic flooding swamped homes, businesses and destroyed public infrastructure during the past week.

"We are certainly not expecting the widespread, record impacts that we've been seeing," Nield said. "We do have a little bit of relief on the horizon."

Highs will be around 80 degrees, and NWS predicts it will be mostly cloudy on Aug. 19.

Much of central Indiana is still under a flood watch, and areas along the White River and the Wabash River remain saturated.

Nield said widespread rainfall totaling about 2-3 inches could cause rivers to rise again. At a minimum, high water levels could be prolonged. Smaller streams may be more likely to flood during heavy rain, he said.

"A lot of the water that fell mid-to-late last week has been channeled into the rivers and moved down stream," Nield said.

After some showers on Aug. 19, Hoosiers may be able to put away their umbrellas for a few days. Nield said the NWS doesn't expect more rain until the weekend.

Today: 🌧️⛈️ Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 2 p.m. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. Calm wind becoming west southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Tonight: 🌧️⛈️ Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2 a.m., then scattered showers. Patchy fog after midnight. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Light and variable wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday: 🌤️Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming northeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Thursday night: 🌫️ Patchy fog after 3 .am. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday: ☀️Patchy fog before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 81. Light and variable wind.

Friday night: ☁️Partly cloudy, with a low around 64. Calm wind.

Saturday: ☔ A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. Calm wind becoming west northwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning.

Saturday night: ☔A 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 63. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Sunday: 🌤️Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind 3 to 8 mph.

Sunday night: ☁️ Partly cloudy, with a low around 59. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Monday: 🌤️Mostly sunny, with a high near 77.

Monday night: ☁️ Partly cloudy, with a low around 62.

Tuesday: 🌤️Mostly sunny, with a high near 81.

Aubrey Wright is a breaking news reporter for the Indy Star. She can be reached at [email protected].

Get breaking news alerts on your phone →download the IndyStar app. 📩 Start your morning with the top Indy news delivered to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Some rain coming, but 'relief on the horizon,' NWS says