River Country in flash flood watch tonight

VALLEY - The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch through Friday morning for 19 counties in Nebraska and southwest Iowa.

The watch area includes Cass, Otoe, Nemaha, Johnson, Pawnee and Richardson counties in Nebraska.

Thunderstorms are forecast to move through the area tonight with pockets of heavy rain.

Due to saturated soils from recent rains, most of the new rainfall is expected to runoff quickly.

Flooding of roads, creeks and streams could occur. Ponding of water on roads is likely.

Stream levels reported Thursday afternoon include:

• Platte River at Louisville, 4.9 feet with 9 foot flood stage
• Weeping Water Creek at Union, 3.6 feet with 25-foot flood stage
• West Nishnabotna at Randolph, 7.8 feet with 19-foot flood stage
• Nishnabotna at Hamburg, 9.1 feet at 25 foot flood stage
• Little Nemaha at Auburn, 3.4 feet at 22 foot flood stage
• Big Nemaha at Falls City, 4.1 feet at 27 foot flood stage