flooding

The old saying says "When it rains, it pours". That is sadly even more true for a small Missouri town that was slammed by a deadly tornado in April and is now under flood waters brought about by 8 inches of rain.

It was the third most severe flood of the Mississippi River in the 20th century. The waters rose, levees failed and the end result was 28 lives were lost and thousands were displaced by the 'Great Flood of 73' that created havoc in Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, and Mississippi.

If you think forecasting the weather is hard, you should see all the factors that go into predicting what rivers will do. There is reason for concern though as it appears there's a growing chance that the Mississippi River will exceed flood stages this Spring along its banks in Missouri and Illinois.

Even though some damage and some areas were flooded in Pettis and Johnson counties due to storms and rainfall in the second half of June up to July 1, the two counties are not included in a request for federal assistance.

Route 23 is closed between county roads NE 950 and NE 1125 due to water over the road in the Blackwater Bottoms.

The rain we've gotten last night and tonight is causing some travel issues and cancellations this afternoon.

Snakes are showing up in areas people usually don't find them because of the flooding. Take for example the Copperhead found in Parkville.

Flooding and freight congestion have caused a suspension of Amtrak service throughout Missouri including Sedalia and Warrensburg.

The Rocheport Area Merchants Association says Rocheport is looking for volunteers to help sandbag the town, Wednesday May 22, according to their Facebook page.

The National Weather Service says we can expect showers and thunderstorms tonight and overnight. Then more of the same tomorrow.