Heavy rain leaves parts of the Northland swamped again

Rain pounded much of the Northland during a stormy Sunday, leaving high water across Clay County and contributing to a brief power outage at Kansas City International Airport.

On Sunday the National Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning for northern Clay County and southern Clinton County after a thunderstorm had dumped 2 to 3 inches of rain on the saturated areas.

Later Sunday, officials cautioned that even though the rain was dissipating, flooding still could occur north of Kansas City through Sunday night.

By late afternoon, water covered a baseball field at Paul Craig Park in Excelsior Springs.

At about 6 p.m., the Clay County Sheriff’s Office reported high water at the Fishing River bridge at County Road H, southwest of Excelsior Springs. At about 8 p.m., Missouri Department of Transportation officials closed the same road at JJ Highway —south of the Fishing River — because of water over the roadway.

Earlier Sunday, officials had shut down stretches of several roads in and around Kearney and Excelsior Springs, including 136th Street east of Cameron Road, where high water had left a large sinkhole.

“There was sporadic flash flooding,” Sgt. Collin Stosberg of the Missouri Highway Patrol said Sunday afternoon. There were no reports of anyone missing or of vehicles being carried away by floodwaters, Stosberg said.

In Kearney, the rain that started in the morning and lasted much of the day left some roads underwater, said Marnie Irsik, a Kearney police officer. The rain prompted her and other officers to close those roads off and direct drivers to alternative routes.

Much of the water had receded by late afternoon, Irski added.

In Clinton County, high water flooded a few streets in Plattsburg, but that water had receded by late afternoon, a sheriff’s office employee said. In Ray County, rain that began mid-morning left a lot of downed branches but no high water by late afternoon, according to a deputy.

Meanwhile, a power failure at Kansas City International Airport began at about 1:40 p.m. Authorities restored power about 20 minutes later, but several flights were delayed Sunday afternoon.

Stormy weather was dissipating in the Kansas City area early Sunday evening, and some storms began to weaken in northern Missouri. However, there was potential for another round of storms late Monday evening, said Jenni Laflin, a meteorologist.

Kansas City area temperatures were expected to reach into the high 90s Monday.

This story was originally published June 21, 2015 at 9:09 PM with the headline "Heavy rain leaves parts of the Northland swamped again."