Missouri River to reach flood stage this weekend after heavy rain upstream

Mid-Missouri has seen little rain this past week, but the Missouri River is about to rise anyway. The water is coming from the north and west, where a deluge has hit parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas.

Rain totals across Mid-Missouri over the past seven days were low, ranging from a trace east of Highway 63 to nearly 2 inches in the northwest, around Macon, Brunswick and Marshall.

Farther upstream, the picture is very different. On September 30th alone, heavy thunderstorms produced a band of 3 to isolated 10 inches of rain across southeast Nebraska and into southwest Iowa.

Cars were stranded on flooded roads, and water rescues were reported in both Omaha and Lincoln. Lincoln Airport recorded 6.15 inches in a single day, an all-time record that broke the old mark of 5.45 inches set on August 29, 1910.

Over the past week, parts of Nebraska, Iowa and Kansas have received 6 to 9 inches of rain in total.

Much of that water drains into the Missouri River Basin, and it's headed downstream toward us. Local river flooding is possible by the weekend. Here are the current forecasts:

• Jefferson City: nearly 22 feet, just shy of minor flood stage
• Boonville: minor flood stage, nearly 24 feet by Sunday
• Glasgow: moderate flood stage, over 27 feet Sunday and Monday

If you live or drive near the river, be careful around low-water crossings. Never drive through water covering a roadway.

There is some good news. Little to no rain is expected in Mid-Missouri or upstream over the next week, and Climate Prediction Center outlooks favor below-normal precipitation through the first two weeks of October. That should help the river crest and recede rather than keep climbing.