Power companies are still reporting outages in our area due to last night’s strong storms with more than 3,500 customers without power this afternoon.

According to Duke Energy, more than 600 customers are without power this afternoon. That includes 250 in the Jackson County and northern Scott County area and 250 around North Vernon

Jackson County REMC is reporting more than 2,500 customers without power in its coverage area including more than 200 near Norman Station and Heltonville and more than 2,000 in and around Salem.

Southeastern Indiana REMC has just over 100 customers affected by power outages this afternoon.

Bartholomew County REMC is reporting no customers without power this afternoon.

Forecasters now are expecting major and moderate flooding along some rivers in our area, starting by Friday.

The National Weather Service in Indianapolis upgraded its flood warning for our area from moderate to major flooding along the East Fork White in Seymour and downstream, and issued warnings of moderate flooding for East Fork White River in Columbus, Flatrock River in Columbus, Driftwood River in Edinburgh, Muscatatuck River in Vernon and Big Blue River at Shelbyville in our area.

Forecasters say we received one to three inches of rain Wednesday and are now expecting five to seven more inches of rain through Sunday morning.

East Fork White River in Seymour will be entering the minor flood stage this afternoon and going into moderate flooding by Saturday morning. Major flooding is expected to start by Sunday morning and will crest at 19.4 feet, inches above the major flood stage and about a foot and a half below record levels by Sunday evening.

In Columbus, East Fork White River is expected to enter the minor flood stage by Friday afternoon and go into moderate flooding by Sunday morning. The river is expected to crest Sunday evening just over a foot above the moderate flood stage and just under a foot below the major flooding level by Sunday evening.

Flatrock River in Columbus is expected to enter the minor flood stage by Friday morning and the moderate flood stage by Friday afternoon. It should crest just about half a foot above the moderate flood stage by early Monday morning.

Haw Creek in East Columbus is about two feet below the minor flood stage this afternoon. No estimate is available on its future level but it has already been on its way down near Clifford, where it has since dropped back below the minor flood stage and the action stage.

Driftwood River near Edinburgh is expected to enter the minor flood stage by early Friday morning and the moderate flood stage by Saturday morning. It should crest in the moderate flood stage by Monday afternoon.

Big Blue River at Shelbyville is expected to enter the minor flood stage by Saturday morning and the moderate flood stage by Saturday evening. It should crest in the moderate flood stage by Sunday morning.

In Vernon, the Muscatatuck River is expected to go into the minor flood stage overnight Saturday and to crest in the minor flood stage by Sunday morning before heading back down.

The National Weather Service says most of our area is under a slight risk of severe weather tonight, but more southern parts of the state, including parts of Jackson and Jennings counties are under a more dangerous moderate risk. The main danger is flash flooding.

Forecasters say there is a chance of heavy rainfall later today, with up to an inch more of rain on the already saturated soil. Showers and thunderstorms are likely after 7 p.m. tonight.

We could see another wave of bad weather today.

The National Weather Service says most of our area is under a slight risk of severe weather, but more southern parts of the state, including parts of Jackson and Jennings counties are under a more dangerous moderate risk. The main danger is flash flooding.

Forecasters say there is a chance of heavy rainfall later today, with up to an inch more of rain on the already saturated soil. Thunderstorms are likely after 7 p.m tonight.

Most of Indiana is under a marginal risk of heavy rain and flooding late Friday and Friday night.

Cummins is announcing that Nicole Y. Lamb-Hale will be its new Chief Administrative Officer and Corporate Secretary.

The Columbus based engine manufacturer said yesterday that Lamb-Hale will replace Sharon Barner when she retires on May 31.

Prior to joining Cummins in 2021 as Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, Lamb-Hale held executive leadership roles at Kroll, LLC, a global risk advisory firm, and Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategic advisory and commercial diplomacy firm. She previously served as Assistant Secretary for Manufacturing and Services in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration under President Obama.

In her new role, she will oversee functions such as risk management, ethics and compliance, product compliance and regulatory affairs, government relations, communications and corporate responsibility.

A long list of local roads and streets are closed due to high water, downed trees and limbs or fallen power lines.

As of 5:10 a.m., the Bartholomew County Emergency Management Department reports the following roads closed:

• 750 S from Hillview to 750 W
• 750 W from 750 S to 700 S
• 400 W from Deaver Rd to Somerset Ln
• 580 W, between 50 N and Old Nashville Rd
• 675 W, north of SR46
• 475 W, between Carr Hill Rd and 250 S
• SR46 at Belmont Dr
• Marr Rd at 15th St
• Mill Race south side
• Noblitt Park
• Central Ave, at Parkside Dr

Water on Roadway:

• Wolfcreek Rd has water rising, but still passable
• SR11, south of Circle K – Water on roadway, but still passable
• 250 S, at 475W – high water, but passable

Trees Down / Wires Down:

• 11061 W Grandview Dr – Tree and Wires Down in Roadway, but passable.
• 11311 W Grandview Dr – Tree in roadway. Road passable for 1 vehicle.
• 675 W / 50N – Tree and Wires Down in roadway.

Emergency officials urge you not to drive into water over roadways. They say you should turn around and don’t drown.

Rivers and streams in our area will see significant flooding by this weekend, even before adding in more rain that is expected over the next few days.

According to estimates from river gauges East Fork White River and its tributaries will see moderate to near major flooding by Sunday. Flat Rock River at Columbus and Driftwood River near Edinburgh are expected to go into minor flooding by early Saturday morning. Flat Rock River is forecast to crest at just inches below the moderate flood level by Sunday while Driftwood River should crest in the moderate flood stage by early Monday.

Haw Creek in Hope is expected to enter into the minor flood stage any time now.

East Fork White River in Columbus should enter the minor flood stage by early Saturday morning and crest at about a foot and half below the moderate flood stage by Sunday morning. In Seymour, East Fork White River should enter the minor flood stage this afternoon and crest about a foot above the moderate flood stage by Sunday morning.

Muscatatuck River at Vernon is forecast to crest just above the minor flood stage by Friday morning.

Forecasters are still expecting between three and three quarters of an inch to more than six inches of additional rain by Saturday evening which will add to those river levels or extend the length of the flooding.

More thunderstorms are forecast Friday into Saturday with some possibly severe. Damaging winds and large hail are the primary threats.

You can keep up to date on the flooding and other weather on our website here: https://1010wcsi.com/weather-forecast/#flooding

Note: This story has been updated

Power companies are reporting a string of outages in our area due to last night’s strong storms with more than 9,000 customers without power.

According to Duke Energy, nearly 6 thousand customer are without power in our area. That includes nearly 4 thousand in Jackson County stretching from 3 thousand in Seymour, nearly 700 near Brownstown and 467 in Medora. The North Vernon area is showing more than 2 thousand without power, while in Bartholomew County there are 152 customers without power in the Grandview Lake area on the west side of the county. Only a single Duke Energy customer in Columbus itself is without power.

Bartholomew County REMC is reporting 10 customers without power

Jackson County REMC is reporting more than 2 thousand customers without power in its coverage area including more than 200 near Norman Station and more than 1,000 in and around Salem.

Southeastern Indiana REMC has just over 900 customers affected by power outages this morning

This total estimate is down from about 15,000 earlier this morning.

Johnson County REMC is reporting no customers without power this morning.

Flood warnings are in place in our area, both in the short term and in the longer outlook.

The National Weather Service has replaced a flash flood warning that went into effect early this morning with a flood warning until 9 this morning for low-lying and flood prone areas.. That warning is in effect for Bartholomew, Johnson and Shelby counties until 9 this morning. During the strong storms overnight areas received between an inch and a half to three inches of rain.

Kyle Mounce meteorologist with the WRTV Storm Team explains the flooding situation.

A flood warning also remains in effect for local rivers and streams through Sunday morning.

Crews will be closing Columbus railroad crossings over the next few weeks.

According to Legacy Excavating, the contractor for the project on the Louisville and Indiana Railroad tracks, the company will be making crossing repairs in the Columbus area. Company officials say they recognize that the closings may cause some inconvenience and seek your understanding and cooperation. They say you should plan accordingly and use an alternate route if necessary.

The first closings happen next week including South Hinman Street, South of Vermont Street on Tuesday; South Beatty Lane south of Georgia Street on Wednesday and South Mapleton south of Wolf Street on Thursday.

Other upcoming crossings include:

• South Gladstone Ave  north of Kreutzer Drive on Tuesday, April 15th.
• South Marr Road  east of South Gladstone Ave and south of Roadway Drive on Wednesday, April 16th

The crossings are expected to be closed from 6 to 6 each day.

The contractors are also announcing an overnight closing just west of the intersection of 3rd and Lindsey Streets on Saturday, April 12th. That will be from 9 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday. This closure will affect all westbound SR46 traffic and all southbound Jonesville Road traffic.

The work schedule is dependent on the weather.

A local group will be holding a rally on the steps of Columbus City Hall on Saturday to protest the actions of the Trump Administration.

Organizers with Columbus Community United plan to rally at City Hall at noon on Saturday as part of a “Hands Off! National Mobilization to Fight Back.” According to the groups’ announcement, the effort is meant as a “message to the world that we do not consent to the destruction of our government and our economy for the benefit of Trump and his billionaire allies.”

The organizers say that the Hands Off movement is committed to non-violence and hope to de-escalate any potential confrontations with those who may disagree.

You can find a link for more information here: