Flash floods and record-breaking rain hit Kansas City metro, lead to water rescues
The Kansas City metro was drenched by severe weather and thunderstorms Wednesday night and Thursday morning, leading to flooding and storm damage throughout the area.
Flash flood warnings were in effect early Thursday morning and extended into the afternoon due to thethunderstorms, record rainfall and severe weather.
The daily record for rainfall in Kansas City was more than doubled on Wednesday at 2.78 inches, beating the old record of 1.35 inches set in 1968, according to the weather service.
As of 6:40 a.m., Kansas City had already recorded 2.04 inches of rain on Thursday, the second consecutive day the city received over 2 inches. This ties the record for consecutive days of 2 inches of rainfall or more in the city, which has only occurred 12 times in 137 years.
Thunderstorms were set to end by Thursday afternoon, with up to 5 to 6 total inches of rainfall expected. Higher amounts of rainfall locally are possible, specifically in the southern Kansas City metro, the National Weather Service said.
Local water rescues
The record rainfall led to flash flooding in some areas, and the Kansas City Fire Department reported that it has performed 23 water rescues that began shortly after rainfall started Wednesday evening through 8 a.m. Thursday, according to spokesperson Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.
All of the rescues involved vehicles stuck in high water throughout the city, and people were evacuated safely and without injury, Hopkins said.
“There are many roadway locations throughout the city that flood when we receive excessive amounts of rain in a short period of time,” Hopkins said in a news release. “KCFD would like to remind citizens to never drive into high water. It only takes a few inches of moving water to sweep a vehicle downstream.”
Flooding in Kansas
Several parts of the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro also saw significant flooding because of the storms.
In Johnson County, the intersection of Old 56 Highway & Clare Road was closed due to flooding. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office posted a picture on Facebook Thursday morning that showed several vehicles trapped underwater.
Several highways, like I-35 and I-635, were closed Thursday morning during flash flood warnings, according to the National Weather Service.
The storms also caused power outages on both sides of the state line.
Over 11,000 people in the Kansas City area were without power as of 9:48 a.m. Thursday, according to the Evergy outage map. Over 3,000 people in Jackson County, and more than 6,000 in Johnson County, were also without power.
Cooler temperatures
The storms have caused a plunge in summer temperature for Thursday as well.
The expected high for the day is 79 degrees, 10 degrees cooler than Kansas City’s average maximum temperature of 89 degrees for July 17, according to weather service data.
Summer heat is set to return on Friday with a high of 90 degrees and a heat index value of 96 degrees, but more rainfall is possible. There is a 40% of rain and thunderstorms on Friday.
The weekend forecast looks much drier at the moment. Saturday and Sunday are both expected to be sunny with predicted highs of 96 degrees. The weather service forecast notes a slight chance of rain after 1 a.m. Saturday.
This story was originally published July 17, 2025 at 7:49 AM.
