Flooding forces people from homes in some parts of Iowa while much of US broils again in heat (2024)

St. Clair asks for sandbagging helpers; Nationa…

Stock market today: Wall Street coasts to the c…

FDA OKs first menthol e-cigarettes, citing pote…

Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning is extended for the following rivers inMinnesota...Cottonwood River at New Ulm affecting Brown County.Cottonwood River Above Springfield affecting Brown County.Minnesota River at Montevideo affecting Chippewa, Lac qui Parleand Yellow Medicine Counties.Mississippi River at St. Paul affecting Ramsey, Dakota andWashington Counties.Cannon River at Northfield affecting Dakota and Rice Counties....The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Minnesotaand Wisconsin...South Fork Crow River at Delano affecting Hennepin and WrightCounties.Minnesota River at Mankato affecting Nicollet and Blue EarthCounties.Minnesota River at New Ulm affecting Nicollet, Blue Earth andBrown Counties.Minnesota River at Savage affecting Dakota, Carver, Hennepin andScott Counties.Minnesota River at Henderson MN19 affecting Le Sueur, Scott andSibley Counties.Minnesota River near Jordan affecting Scott, Carver and SibleyCounties.Minnesota River at Morton affecting Redwood and Renville Counties.South Fork Crow River below Mayer affecting Carver County.Crow River at Rockford affecting Hennepin and Wright Counties.Mississippi River near Hastings L/D 2 (COE) affecting Dakota,Pierce and Washington Counties.Middle Fork Zumbro River at Pine Island 1S affecting Dodge andGoodhue Counties.Redwood River near Redwood Falls affecting Redwood County..No significant rainfall is expected over the next 24 hours. Thereare a few systems that will bring additional rainfall chances thatare not captured in the current river forecasts.The greatest chance for rain is with a system Thursday night intoFriday. The forecast rainfall amounts with this system will becaptured in the river forecasts that are issued Wednesday night andThursday morning.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flooddeaths occur in vehicles.&&...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...* WHAT...Moderate flooding is occurring and moderate flooding isforecast. This approaches the flood of record.* WHERE...Minnesota River at Mankato.* WHEN...Until further notice.* IMPACTS...At 26.6 feet, Flood waters begin to impact Highway 169in North Mankato.* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...- At 930 AM CDT Sunday, the stage was 26.0 feet.- Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hoursending at 930 AM CDT Sunday was 26.0 feet.- Forecast...The river is expected to rise and crest near 28.3feet early Tuesday morning.- Flood stage is 22.0 feet.- Flood History...This crest compares to a previous crest of28.3 feet on 09/27/2010.&&

Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning is extended for the following rivers inMinnesota...Cottonwood River at New Ulm affecting Brown County.Cottonwood River Above Springfield affecting Brown County.Minnesota River at Montevideo affecting Chippewa, Lac qui Parleand Yellow Medicine Counties.Mississippi River at St. Paul affecting Ramsey, Dakota andWashington Counties.Cannon River at Northfield affecting Dakota and Rice Counties....The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Minnesotaand Wisconsin...South Fork Crow River at Delano affecting Hennepin and WrightCounties.Minnesota River at Mankato affecting Nicollet and Blue EarthCounties.Minnesota River at New Ulm affecting Nicollet, Blue Earth andBrown Counties.Minnesota River at Savage affecting Dakota, Carver, Hennepin andScott Counties.Minnesota River at Henderson MN19 affecting Le Sueur, Scott andSibley Counties.Minnesota River near Jordan affecting Scott, Carver and SibleyCounties.Minnesota River at Morton affecting Redwood and Renville Counties.South Fork Crow River below Mayer affecting Carver County.Crow River at Rockford affecting Hennepin and Wright Counties.Mississippi River near Hastings L/D 2 (COE) affecting Dakota,Pierce and Washington Counties.Middle Fork Zumbro River at Pine Island 1S affecting Dodge andGoodhue Counties.Redwood River near Redwood Falls affecting Redwood County..No significant rainfall is expected over the next 24 hours. Thereare a few systems that will bring additional rainfall chances thatare not captured in the current river forecasts.The greatest chance for rain is with a system Thursday night intoFriday. The forecast rainfall amounts with this system will becaptured in the river forecasts that are issued Wednesday night andThursday morning.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flooddeaths occur in vehicles.&&...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...* WHAT...Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast.* WHERE...Minnesota River at New Ulm.* WHEN...Until further notice.* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...- At 945 AM CDT Sunday, the stage was 802.0 feet.- Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hoursending at 945 AM CDT Sunday was 802.0 feet.- Forecast...The river will fall rise to 802.0 feet just aftermidnight tonight, and then rise to 802.2 feet Friday morning.It will fall again but remain above flood stage.- Flood stage is 800.0 feet.- Flood History...This crest compares to a previous crest of802.4 feet on 05/18/2022.&&

Weather Alert

.The heavy rain has ended, but small creeks and streams continue torun high. The flood warning has been extended into Monday morning....FLOOD WARNING NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM CDT MONDAY...* WHAT...Small stream flooding caused by excessive rainfallcontinues.* WHERE...A portion of south central Minnesota, including thefollowing counties, Blue Earth, Waseca and Watonwan.* WHEN...Until 1000 AM CDT Monday.* IMPACTS...Numerous roads remain closed due to flooding. Expectmany areas of slow moving or standing water.* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...- At 613 AM CDT, local law enforcement reported flooding in thewarned area. Flooding is already occurring.- Flooding impacts will continue, but no additional rainfall isexpected.- Some locations that will experience flooding include...Mankato, North Mankato, Waseca, St. James, Lake Crystal,Eagle Lake, Madelia, Janesville, Mapleton, New Richland,Madison Lake, St. Clair, Elysian, Butterfield, Good Thunder,Amboy, Vernon Center, Lewisville, Pemberton and Waldorf.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flooddeaths occur in vehicles.&&

Floodwaters have forced people out of their homes in parts of Iowa, the result of weeks of rain

By ED WHITE and JOHN HANNA - Associated Press
Jun 23, 2024
Jun 23, 2024 Updated 13 hrs ago

Floodwaters forced people out of their homes in parts of Iowa, the result of weeks of rain, while much of the United States longed for relief Saturday from yet another round of extraordinary heat.

Sirens blared at 2 a.m. in Rock Valley, Iowa, population 4,200, where people in hundreds of homes were told to get out as the Rock River could no longer take rain that has slammed the region. The city lacked running water because wells were unusable.

Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo said a state helicopter was on its way to help but was called off when boats were able to reach stranded residents.

“We've had so much rain here,” he said. “We had 4 inches last night in an hour and a half time. Our ground just cannot take anymore.”

Gov. Kim Reynolds declared a disaster for 21 counties in northern Iowa, including Sioux County, which includes Rock Valley. In drone video posted by the local sheriff, no streets were visible, just roofs and treetops poking above the water.

In South Dakota, Gov. Kristi Noem declared an emergency after the southeastern part of the state received heavy rainfall. The town of Canton, 30 miles (48 kilometers) southeast of Sioux Falls, has received 18 inches (45.72 centimeters) of rain.

Several highways were closed, including a key stretch of Interstate 29 south of Sioux Falls that later reopened. Sioux Falls, the state’s largest city, had more than 7 inches (17.7 centimeters) of rain in three days.

“Even though the rain is slowing down, we need to keep vigilant,” said Noem. “The worst of the flooding along our rivers will be Monday and Tuesday.”

Elsewhere in the U.S., the miserable grip of heat and humidity continued. The National Weather Service said roughly 15 million people were under a heat warning — the highest level of alert — while another 90 million were under a heat advisory. Millions across the country have had their lives disrupted by stretches of unusually high temperatures.

Last year the U.S. experienced the most heat waves since 1936, experts said. An AP analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that excessive heat contributed to more than 2,300 deaths, the highest in 45 years of records.

Temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.8 degrees Celsius) were predicted for Washington, D.C., and Richmond, Virginia, while Philadelphia; Newark, New Jersey; Columbus, Ohio; and Detroit were bracing for the high 90s.

Heat-related hospital visits in New York state lately were 500% higher than on the average June day, according to the Department of Health.

“We still have this prolonged heat wave across portions of the Ohio Valley and into the Northeast,” weather service meteorologist Marc Chenard said. “We get a little bit of relief by early in the week, at least in the eastern U.S., the Northeast, but in general above-normal temperatures are going to cover a large portion of the country even into next week.”

In southeastern Michigan, DTE Energy said 7,400 customers remained without power as of Saturday afternoon due to storm-related outages, down from 75,000 earlier in the week.

A heat index of around 100 Fahrenheit (37.8 Celsius) didn't stop Florida couple Judy and Bill Watson from watching the Tigers play the White Sox at Detroit's Comerica Park. Their afternoon visit was a milestone: Bill Watson has now seen games at all 30 MLB ballparks.

“We're from Florida. You might be interviewing the wrong people about heat,” the 71-year-old Bradenton man said with a smile. “We drank water, beer occasionally. We were just happy it didn't get rained out.”

Across the country in California, temperatures in the state’s Central Valley were expected to reach as high as 106 Fahrenheit (41.1 Celsius), and the NWS issued a heat advisory through 8 p.m. Nearly 4,000 homes and businesses in Sacramento lost power for less than an hour in the middle of the day, the Sacramento Bee reported.

In Iowa, power was cut off at wastewater treatment plants in Hawarden and Spencer, which together have 14,000 residents.

Aiden Engelkes said he and his girlfriend grabbed clothes, cats and bottled water and left their flooded first-floor apartment in Spencer for a friend's dry space on the fourth floor. His Chevy SUV was under the roiling water outside, except for a bit of its antenna. Across the street, he said, friends were on a roof waiting for help.

“It’s terrifying,” said Engelkes, 20.

While the chances for rain were forecast as small into the middle of next week, the National Weather Service predicted expanded flooding before then in the area as high water moved downstream on several rivers in northern Iowa.

Flooding also closed state highways and county roads in southern Minnesota. Windom, a town of about 4,800 people, received 1.25 inches (3.2 centimeters) of rain on top of earlier heavy downpours, and the Des Moines River there had a record crest.

“We’re having a tough time just keeping up, putting up barricades,” city council member Jenny Quaid said. “We put barricades up, and then all of a sudden the water’s rising so much, the barricade’s way back in the water.”

In New Mexico, heavy rain and flash flood warnings prompted officials to order some evacuations, with shelters set up for displaced residents.

The NWS announced a flash flood emergency on Friday night through early Saturday. The impacted areas included the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and communities near Albuquerque.

In Ruidoso, a mountain village in New Mexico, full-time residents will be allowed to return Monday after they were forced out by wildfires, though everyday life won't return to normal.

“You’re going to need to bring a week’s worth of food, you’re going to need to bring drinking water,” Mayor Lynn Crawford said on Facebook.

Hanna reported from Topeka, Kansas. AP reporters Julie Walker in New York City and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed.

Flooding forces people from homes in some parts of Iowa while much of US broils again in heat (2024)

St. Clair asks for sandbagging helpers; Nationa…

Stock market today: Wall Street coasts to the c…

FDA OKs first menthol e-cigarettes, citing pote…

Weather Alert

River Flood Warning is in effect

River Flood Warning is in effect

Flood Warning until MON 10:00 AM CDT

Weather Alert

Weather Alert

Weather Alert

Floodwaters have forced people out of their homes in parts of Iowa, the result of weeks of rain

React to this story:

Tags

Trending Video

FreepCast

Trending Recipes

Mother's Day Digital Magazine

Women 2024

Join The Free Press expert source network

Most Popular

Articles

Images

Videos

Commented

Obituaries

Schubbe, Charles "Chuck"

Jerrow, Robert

Ohm, Ellsworth

Greeley, Melvin

Robert Thomas

William Sterling

Karpinsky, Herbert