Excessive flooding continues over the weekend as storm system remains stalled
Life-threatening flash flooding is likely in the coming days as a rain-soaked region stretching from Texas to the Great Lakes prepares for more rounds of rain this weekend. The Weather Prediction Center has issued a rare high risk of flash flooding ahead of the threat.
The highest risk of flooding is forecast on Friday and Saturday across southern Missouri, most of Arkansas, and western portions of Kentucky and Tennessee. These areas have recently received heavy bouts of rain from severe storms, with a half foot or more additional rainfall expected through Sunday.
Local rivers are forecast to reach varying flood stages at their peak on Monday and Tuesday. River levels will typically rise during and after an event as the inundation of water is carried downstream. Smaller waterways will be most susceptible. The Gasconade and Meramec rivers are expected to reach moderate and major flood stages, respectively.
This flood risk is part of a wider range of severe hazards connected to a stationary front in the central part of the country. That severe weather has already proved deadly, and flooding accounts for more deaths and destruction than any other severe hazard in the United States.
High-risk flood days are exceptionally deadly—roughly a third of all flood-related deaths occur in a high-risk forecast. And half of all flooding deaths involve a vehicle; this is why you hear "turn around, don't drown" so often. It takes only a half foot of moving water to float most vehicles and easily knock a person over. Never drive over flooded roadways or wade into potentially hazardous floodwaters.
