UPDATE: This advisory has expired.
The National Weather Service has issued an urban and small stream flood advisory for northern Hillsborough and southern Pasco counties until 11:45 a.m.
This includes the areas of Lutz, New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.
The weather service said the area is experiencing three to four inches of rain per hour associated with thunderstorms nearby. Localized flooding is imminent, officials added, if not already occurring.
This includes parts of Interstate 75 between exits 257 and 279, as well as Interstate 275 between exits 39 and 53.
The weather service asks residents to keep children from being swept away in flooded ditches and drains, and that flood waters are usually deeper than they appear and could stall a vehicle. One foot of flowing water is powerful enough to sweep away a vehicle.
