St. John Parish leaders and National Weather Service staffers are warning those in the area that beginning this evening and continuing through Sunday, heavy rainfall is expected.

The forecasted downpour comes with the risk of severe weather, which will seemingly impact St. John the Baptist Parish as a low pressure system travels east.

Rainfall amounts of two to four inches are possible, and the threats of higher amounts locally are possible. Strong winds and isolated tornadoes are in play.

That’s certainly not welcomed news considering we just waded through a foot of water that fell last weekend in greater LaPlace.

Parish officials were forced to issue a wastewater restriction Monday because the wastewater system was operating at maximum capacity. Residents were asked to limit washing clothes, running dishwashers, flushing toilets and all other activities that discharge into the collection system.

Thankfully, that restriction was lifted and Parish leaders never set out any water restrictions, stressing local water was safe for consumption and normal use. Unfortunately, water levels in Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas remained one to two feet above normal late into this week, the drainage systems remain full and some streets still have pooling of water.

More rain only adds to the problem.

Parish leaders said crews will be stationed throughout St. John this weekend, monitoring weather conditions and are prepared to respond if needed. Sandbags are available at 425 Captain Bourgeois from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. today.

Residents are asked to report weather-related emergencies and sandbag requests after 8 p.m. to 911.

Residents are also asked to clean yards from fallen leaves and tree branches to avoid entering the drainage system during the weather event.

Residents can sign up to receive emergency notifications to a home phone, cell phone, email or SMS text messaging device by visiting sjbparish.com and clicking on “Stay Connected.”

Stay safe this weekend, and please continue to monitor the weather in your area.