Heavy rainfall leads to record breaking flood levels in mid-Missouri
Heavy rainfall this weekend has created major complications for mid-Missouri. The National Weather Service issued numerous flood watches and warnings throughout the weekend. Missouri has seen many road closings thanks to flooded roadways. River levels have risen well above major flood stages, even rising above record breaking levels. Flood warnings remain in effect for all of mid-Missouri through late Monday morning as rain is expected to continue into the AM hours.
The Gasconade River at Jerome has exceeded a record breaking level. The observed height at 12:45 AM Monday morning was 33.14 feet, breaking the previous record of 32.8 feet. Major flooding is expected since this height is well above the major flood stage set at 30 feet. Forecasts show the Gasconade River at Jerome remaining above flood levels all the way through Thursday. With this high water level, we could expect flooding along I-44.
The Moreau River near Jefferson is also approaching a record flood stage. The latest observed height of 33.51 feet is slightly below the record set at 34.0 feet. This observation was taken at 1:30 AM Monday morning. This is well above the major flood stage of 29 feet. Major flooding is expected with this. Forecasts predict the Moreau River near Jefferson City to remain above the flood stage through Tuesday morning.
This weekend rainfall totals in Columbia have exceeded 5 inches. With this large amount of rain, Columbia has broken into the top ten wettest Aprils on record. This month is ranked as the 6th wettest April, with a total of 8.74 inches.
As even more rain is expected by mid-week, flood conditions may continue through the entire week. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather team will continue to update and alert you on any changing flood conditions.
