St. John prepares for rough weekend weather

Published 6:55 pm Thursday, July 17, 2014

A slow-moving, low-pressure system is expected to travel across the River Region Friday into Saturday, bringing numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms, According to the National Weather Service.

Although the threat of severe weather is low, a few thunderstorms could become strong and produce frequent lightning, gusty winds and heavy downpours of rain.

Rainfall totals are predicted to be 2 to 4 inches for the weekend, with locally higher amounts possible.

Street flooding may occur due to the large amount of rainfall in short periods of time.

The threat of severe weather is expected to continue through Tuesday.

St. John the Baptist Parish Public Works and Utilities crews are preparing for this rain event and will be on hand in the event issues arise with drainage and utility systems this weekend.

Residents are encouraged to assist with preparations by cleaning up catch basins and drainage systems, as well as clearing yards of debris.

Please dial 9-1-1 to report any emergencies, including drainage issues and street flooding.

The St. John the Baptist Parish Office of Emergency Preparedness is in contact with the National Weather Service to receive the latest weather updates and forecasts.

Residents can sign up to receive emergency notifications to their home phone, cell phone, email or SMS text messaging device by visiting the homepage of the Parish’s website at sjbparish.com and clicking on “Stay Connected.”