Violent storms with heavy rains lashed southwest Michigan late Saturday, prompting flash flood warnings for a large swath of the region.

The Michigan State Police said some lanes of U.S. 31 were closed at Holland because of 12 to 18 inches of standing water on the roads. Police said there were no reports of water rescues or injuries in the region, but areas around Holland, as well as Saugatuck and Hastings, were especially hard-hit.

Many roads across the area were flooded, MSP said.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning through 4 a.m. EDT for six counties, including Kent and Allegan, after up to 6 inches of rain fell across the area. The area included communities north of South Haven and south of Grand Rapids.

In Holland, some places received 5 inches of rain, with another few inches expected overnight.

Meteorologists warned of even worse conditions as thunderstorms with more heavy rain were expected Sunday and into Monday morning.

A tornado watch continued for Lake Michigan waters as the same system that brought damaging storms and flooding to southern Wisconsin, suburban Chicago and a slice of northern Indiana crossed into Michigan.

Winds of 70 mph were reported in Allegen County, with numerous reports of trees down across the region.

At 6:15 a.m., more than 2,600 people were without power in Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties, according to the Indiana-Michigan Power Web site. There was no word on when power would be restored.

Elsewhere, levees were beginning to fail along the Embarras River in southeastern Illinois, not far from Vincennes and the Indiana border, and flash flood warnings remained in effect until 7 a.m. EDT.

In Indiana, flood warnings continued into Sunday for numerous central and southern Indiana counties.