Heavy rain is expected to impact the Minot area Thursday evening through Friday afternoon. According to the National Weather Service in Bismarck, expected rainfall totals will cause "maybe a foot rise in the Souris in the Minot area."
Forecaster Bill Abeling said Minot is "most likely going to get heavy rain. They key is will the heavy rain fall in one to two hours or in a six to 10 hour period? It does make a difference. Storms will form west of Minot early this evening with heavy rains tonight, particularly after midnight. You can expect an inch of rain in the Minot area and could have a thunderstorm that could produce more. Be prepared for almost anything. You'll have a lot more thunderstorms through Minot Friday morning through the afternoon. It is a wet pattern that is just relentless."
According to the NWS the heaviest rainfall is likely to occur from "Williston to southern Saskatchewan up along the border, with up to two to three inches possible in 24 hours."
Article Photos
Kim Fundingsland/MDN
A city employee walks next to the river bank in northwest Minot near the city's water treatment plant. The river level could rise again if heavy rain hits the Minot area as projected.
In advance of the expected rain system the NWS issued an updated Flood Watch at 1:49 p.m. Thursday.