By Lucky Kidd
UPDATED POST:
SOUTHEAST Kan. — The Neosho River at Iola was at 19.86 feet as of 4 p.m. near crest and a little over a foot below the moderate flood level. It’s forecast to fall below the 15 feet flood stage by mid-morning Monday. At LeRoy, as of 1 p.m. Sunday, the Neosho was at 21.32 feet below the 23 feet flood stage.
At Chanute, the Neosho River was at 31.05 feet as of 3:30 p.m., and is forecast to crest at 32 feet, in moderate flood, this evening, nine feet above the 23 feet flood stage. At Erie, the Neosho is in major flood at 36.7 feet as of 3:03 p.m., and is forecast to crest at 37.8 feet around 7 a.m. Monday and fall below the 29 feet flood stage Tuesday morning.
Pottawatomie Creek north of Garnett crested late Sunday morning at 28.25 feet, and is forecast to be below the 26 feet flood stage around mid-morning Monday.
In Wilson County, the Fall River at Fredonia crested at 30.25 feet early Sunday morning and was forecast to go below the 17 feet flood stage early Monday morning. The Verdigris River at Altoona was at 20.16 feet as of 2:30 this afternoon with a forecast crest of 21.5 feet early this evening, in moderate flood. It’s forecast to fall below the 19 feet flood stage Monday morning.
The Marmaton River at Fort Scott, in major flood, was at 47.02 feet at 4:17 p.m., and is forecast to crest at 47.3 feet tonight, and fall below the 38 feet flood stage early Tuesday morning. If reached, this crest would be near the top three crests ever.
At Fulton, the Little Osage River was at 32.28 feet as of 4:15 p.m., and is forecast to crest at 32.5 feet tonight, in major flood stage. It will fall below the 22 feet flood stage Tuesday afternoon.
Saturday Rainfall Leads to Significant Flooding Issues, Water Rescues and Road Closures
EARLIER POST (April 28,2024)
SOUTHEAST KANSAS — Torrential rainfall Saturday night led to significant flooding issues along area rivers and creeks, road closures, and some water rescues.
One water rescue occurred early this morning with a vehicle stuck in water at Deer Creek about two miles east of Colony. Anderson County Emergency Management reports that person was able to safely exit the vehicle. There have also been water rescues reported in the Fort Scott area with rescue crews from Pittsburg and Vernon County, Missouri responding to assist.
In the Iola area, four inches of rain was reported as of 7 a.m. Sunday at the Iola Water Plant, with the National Weather Service in Wichita reporting 2.56 inches at Allen County Airport. The heaviest 24 hour rainfall report this morning came from Neodesha with 7.43 inches with 7.28 inches reported in Moran.
In Neosho County, 6.72 inches was reported at the Chanute Airport, with 6.42 inches reported by a cooperative observer four miles east of Chanute. 5.62 inches was reported at Erie and 3.96 inches just north of Galesburg.
Yates Center recorded a 24-hour rainfall total of 3.98 inches, with 6.9 inches at Longton, 3.27 inches just north of Coyville in Wilson County.
In Anderson County, 4.22 inches was reported at Colony and 2.45 inches five miles north of Westphalia according to the National Weather Service in Topeka which also reported 2.41 inches at Gridley in Coffey County. No reports were received for Bourbon County from the Springfield NWS office however Fort Scott City Manager Brad Matkin said this morning they have received over ten inches of rain in the past 48 hours, while the Kansas City office reported 3.91 inches from four miles southwest of Centerville in Linn County.
The rain, which was on top of rainfall from Friday night and early Saturday morning, has left multiple roads impassable. The Kansas Department of Transportation as of Sunday morning reported US 54 closed from Yates Center to Iola, Uniontown to the Kansas-Missouri border closed, east from Iola to Moran (Yates Center to Moran closed), US 169 closed from Colony to Chanute, US 400 closed between Fredonia and Neodesha, and segments of K-7, K-31 and K-65 in Bourbon County have also been reported closed.
In Fort Scott, Matkin said in a statement this morning the Belltown area north of Fort Scott is almost completely underwater with people being taken out of that area, as are parts of Wall Street, 3rd Street, and Clark Street, and the north part of Fort Scott in general. He also asked Fort Scott area residents to please stay at home.
In Woodson County 50th Road between Violet and Willow Roads southwest of Piqua is washed out and closed. Turkey Road between 50th and 70th roads in the southeast part of the county is also closed along with Otter Road south of 130th Road East of Yates Center.
Linn County is reporting the majority of roads there are flooded, while in Coffey County water was flowing over 12th Road from Scott Creek about seven miles east of Burlington.
The Marmaton River at Fort Scott is presently forecast to crest at 45.8 feet, which if realized would be the 3rd highest crest on Record. Flood Stage is 37 feet.
Flood warnings were issued for the Neosho River at Iola, Chanute and Erie. At Iola, a 19 feet crest is forecast this evening, which will cause flooding of agricultural fields and the gravel road below the low water dam on the west side of the river. The Flood Stage at the river gauge along US 54 is 20 feet. At Chanute, a forecast crest of 25.6 feet, with bank full at 23 feet, which usually causes flooding along 800 street from Petrolia to Chanute and on Dump Road east of Chanute. Moderate flooding is forecast on the Neosho at Erie, with the 34.1 feet forecast crest 5.1 feet above flood stage of 29 feet.
Major flooding is also being reported along the Little Osage River at Fulton in Bourbon County, with flooding also forecast for Fall River at Fredonia.
