ELKHART — The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for Elkhart County and much of northern Indiana and southern Michigan starting this evening stemming from ancicipated rain.

Combined with melting snow and frozen soil unable to absorb moisture, the weather agency warns that the rain could cause flooding of rivers, streams and low-lying areas into Wednesday. Ponding of water across roads is also anticipated.

Rain is expected this evening, Jan. 29, into Wednesday in the Elkhart area, with the moisture converting to snow Wednesday afternoon as temperatures drop.

The flood watch applies to Elkhart County and much of northern Indiana and southern Michigan and goes into effect starting about 7 p.m. this evening until Wednesday morning.

Even so, water levels on the Elkhart and St. Joseph rivers in Elkhart County were well below flood stage as of this afternoon, according to NWS figures. The St. Joseph River in Elkhart measured 19.42 feet deep, below the flood stage of 24 feet, while the Elkhart River in Goshen measured 2.33 feet deep, below flood stage of 7 feet.

The Indiana Department of Homeland Security, too, warned of possible flooding in northern Indiana due to “widespread and persistent” rain.

“Spring is usually the time when we’re most concerned about flooding in Indiana,” Arvin Copeland, IDHS director of emergency response and recovery, said in a press release. “(B)ut recent amounts of heavy rainfall are putting some Hoosiers at risk from rising streams and other bodies of water.”

The IDHS advises Hoosiers to monitor water levels on the road and around your home and to avoid flooded roads, among other measures.