IStock/Noppharat05081977(FARGO, N.D.) — Over 9 inches of rain has hit parts of the Northeastern Plains as a cold front sweeps across the Central states.

Storms will push east today and could possibly impact the Northeast by Monday evening.

This frontal system was responsible for at least 9.5 inches of rain in northern Minnesota and 8.73 inches of rain in eastern North Dakota on Saturday.

As a result of the intense heavy rain, flash flooding was reported in both the Fargo and Grand Forks areas.

The system also brought 2 reported tornadoes to eastern Kansas on Saturday night as well as a 75 mph wind gust in Russell, KS.

This morning there have already been reports of rainfall totals approaching 4″ in parts of Southern Nebraska due to heavy rain.

A long line of storms is visible on the radar stretching from the Mexican border to parts of the Upper Midwest.

A cold front is tapping into moisture from a rapidly weakening Tropical Storm Elena along with tropical moisture from the Gulf.

Flash flood Watches are in effect for parts of the region from southwest Texas to Wisconsin including Kansas City and Chicago.

As the cold front moves east today it will likely fire up some strong storms and heavy rain through parts of Midwest from Missouri to Michigan, including around St. Louis, Chicago, and Indianapolis.

Rainfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour could cause flash flooding in spots throughout the day.

 Later this evening and into early Monday storms will slide over into the Ohio Valley and the interior northeast but will likely lose some moisture and coverage with the loss of daytime heating.

Then on Monday night into early Tuesday, it appears the cold front will tap into just enough heat and moisture to bring a round of storms to the northeast U.S.

While the chances of severe thunderstorms remains isolated, gusty winds and locally heavy downpours appear likely in the major metro areas Monday night and early Tuesday.

Locally over 4 inches of rain will fall in parts of the Midwest through today from this system, especially in areas of Illinois and Indiana.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Karen has formed in the Atlantic and could impact Puerto Rico on Tuesday as new Tropical Strom Warnings have been issued in the Caribbean.

A new tropical Storm warning has been issued for portions of the Windward Islands, including Trindiad and Tobago. Karen currently has winds of 40 mph and is moving West Northwest at 9MPH.

Karen is expected to bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds to parts of the Caribbean, including Puerto Rico, over the next few days.

Although some overnight models are beginning to indicate that this tropical wave could become a system worth monitoring later this week, it remains too early to determine how this system will evolve in the long term.

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