Heavy rain inundates Kansas City, surrounding area, prompting calls for water rescues
Flash flood warnings were issued for Kansas City and the surrounding region as heavy rain inundated roadways Friday night, prompting several calls for water rescues.
The National Weather Service said one warning is in effect now until 1 a.m. Saturday. It includes Jackson, Clay and southeastern Platte counties in Missouri and Wyandotte, Leavenworth and Johnson counties in Kansas.
A second warning was issued, and is in effect now until 1:30 a.m. Saturday for Cass and Bates counties in Missouri and Miami and Linn counties in Kansas.
According to the weather service, after 7 p.m. Friday, the Doppler radar “indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area.”
“Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly. Heavy rains will continue through a good portion of the evening and overnight hours. This combined with saturated soils and the urban landscape, will lead to flash flooding across the Kansas City Metro and surrounding areas,” the weather service said in its warnings.
The Kansas City Fire Department said in a tweet at 9:26 p.m. that it had responded to more than 20 calls for water rescues in the span of two hours Friday night. No injuries have been reported so far, the fire department said, but some have been found in “very dangerous situations.”
This story was originally published May 24, 2019 at 7:21 PM.
