( CNN ) -- As water levels already at or above flood stage continue rising in rivers in southwestern Louisiana , the weather forecast says more rain is on the way . But it wo n't be as bad as the torrents that have caused widespread flooding in seven parishes , the National Weather Service predicts . There is about a 20 % to 50 % chance of showers and thunderstorms in much of the region through Monday . Gov . Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency Thursday afternoon after thunderstorms drenched the state with as much as a foot of rain this week . Hundreds of people have been evacuated . There were no initial reports of injuries . Many rivers in the southwest , closer to Texas , where flooding has been prominent , are still rising and expected to crest over the weekend . At least one is predicted to hit major flood stage . The flood region is a low-lying prairie , and water about thigh-deep spread over a broad region , inundating homes and cars . The town of Eunice has had 12.25 inches of rain since Tuesday , a hydrologist with the National Weather Service said . St. Landry Parish spokeswoman Megan Vizena said 30 % of the area was underwater . Authorities in Franklin , near the Gulf of Mexico , evacuated 118 people after 7 inches of rain washed over some roads and bridges , the weather service said on its website . In Acadia Parish , rescuers saved close to 80 people from rising water , including 20 at an oil well . The National Weather Service said at least two EF-1 tornadoes struck Thursday , one of which damaged 50 homes in St. Martin Parish . A third tornado was sighted in Iberville Parish , according to CNN affiliate WBRZ . Rivers to Louisiana 's southeast , near Mississippi , have also gone over flood stage , but inundation has not been dramatic there . Much of the region is hilly and not as prone to flooding . Those rivers have also already crested , according to NWS data . The heavy rainfall accompanies a broad warming trend covering the southeastern United States and reaching into the Midwest , according to the weather service . Both have the same root cause , said CNN meteorologist Pedram Javaheri . `` It 's a southerly flow coming over the Gulf of Mexico , '' he said . `` It 's a subtropical air mass , '' Pedram Javaheri , and can spark thunderstorms as it collides with a cooler front coming over from Texas . 2012 was the warmest year on record for the contiguous 48 states of the United States , according to the National Weather Service . But Javaheri sees no connection between that and the current weather system . Cold weather should return soon , giving the country a normal start into 2013 , he said . Four-fifths of the country will see colder than average temperatures in the third week of January . Watch encores of CNN 's `` The Coming Storms '' at 8 and 11 p.m . ET Saturday . CNN 's Steve Almasy , Sean Morris and Joe Sutton contributed to this report .
Rains should not be as bad as the torrents that caused flooding . Governor issues state of emergency for all of Louisiana . Town of Eunice has had more than 12 inches of rain in three days . Authorities have rescued dozens , and many others have evacuated .