Heavy rains bring flood warnings

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Storms again lashed western Missouri Tuesday morning and Nevada and Vernon County saw lots of tree limbs down and some additional flooding but no major damage was reported. Nevada Police Chief Gary Herstein said the heaviest part of the storm passed north of Nevada; however, heavy rain drenched the area, causing flooding and flash flooding of some areas.

"We got lucky," Herstein said. "All we got was some tree limbs down and some minor street flooding. It looks like the storm went north of us."

Bates County experienced heavier damage than Vernon County with the city of Drexel being temporarily cut-off as downed tree limbs blocked the roads.

According to the National Weather Service, 100 mph winds swept through the area. City Clerk Kara Smith said, "It was mostly tree damage with a lot of power lines down too. There wasn't a lot of structural damage but there was roof damage to some structures."

Smith said that while the roads into Drexel may have been blocked early on, crews worked quickly to open them to traffic.

"The roads may have been closed early on but we had tree crews come in and start working first thing," Smith said. "I didn't actually go out and look, it was pretty hard getting around."

The National Weather Service predicts a hot, clear day for Wednesday and Thursday with a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Friday.

Meanwhile, a flood warning remains in effect for local waterways, including the Little Osage River near Horton, the Marmaton River near Nevada and the Osage River near Schell City. For the Little Osage, the flood warning has been extended through Saturday afternoon. The water level measured 43 feet on Tuesday, with flood stage at 41 feet. The Little Osage is expected to crest at about 43.9 feet by Thursday morning.

The flood warning for the Marmaton River also is extended until Saturday evening. Flood stage is 20 feet, and the river is expected to rise to just over 25 feet by Thursday evening.

The Osage River flood warning is continued until further notice, and waters are expected to rise just above 32 feet by early Sunday.

At 32 feet, several county roads west of Schell City become impassable.

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