Heavy rain triggers flash flood, severe thunderstorm warning for Kansas City area
Heavy rain is falling across the Kansas City area, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood warning for parts of the metro.
The weather service issued the warning shortly after 1:10 p.m. Tuesday for southeastern Atchison, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties in Kansas and Platte County in Missouri.
The cities that could experience flash flooding include Kansas City, Shawnee, Leavenworth, Lansing, Atchison, Bonner Springs, Parkville, Tonganoxie, Platte City, Basehor, Edwardsville, Riverside, Weatherby Lake, Weston, Kansas City, Kansas, Lake Waukomis, Edgerton and Dearborn.
Flash flooding could also occur around Kansas City International Airport.
At 1:12 p.m., radar indicated that thunderstorms were producing heavy rain across the area. Between .5 and 2.5 inches of rain have already fallen, and another 1 to 3 inches is possible.
“Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly,” the weather service said.
The highways included under the warning are Interstate 635, between mile markers 2 and 11, Interstate 29, between mile markers 5 and 30, Kansas Turnpike, between mile markers 211 and 226, Interstate 435, between mile markers 9 and 38, and Interstate 70 in Kansas, between mile markers 410 and 422.
“Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads,” the weather service said. “Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.”
