Flash flood warnings climbed to 72 across 13 states Monday as the National Weather Service expanded its alert zone sharply southward, adding Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas to a multi-day flooding event that had been concentrated in the upper Midwest through the weekend.
The 20-warning jump from Sunday’s count of 52 is the largest single-day increase in the event to date. The geographic center has shifted: Iowa, Indiana and South Dakota — which anchored earlier coverage — are no longer under active warnings, while the Southern tier now carries the bulk of the risk.
Alabama is emerging as the focal point of the current outbreak. The Flint River at Brownsboro, affecting Madison County, is experiencing major flooding that the National Weather Service describes as approaching the flood of record, with the warning in effect through early Thursday morning. The Paint Rock River near Woodville — impacting Madison, Marshall and Jackson counties — remains at moderate flood stage; at 20.0 feet, portions of Alabama State Highway 65 are closed due to high water, with the warning extending through Saturday morning.
In Kansas and Missouri, river flooding continues. The Neosho River near Parsons and at Oswego is forecast to reach moderate flood stage, affecting Neosho, Labette and Cherokee counties in Kansas, with the warning running through early Wednesday. Missouri’s Ozark corridor — including Greene, Christian, Stone and Taney counties in the Springfield-area region — remains under active flood warnings. Counties in neighboring Arkansas, including Benton, and Barry County in Missouri are also included in the current alert zone.
Washington state appears among the 13 affected states — AL, AR, GA, IL, KS, KY, LA, MO, NE, OK, TN, TX and WA — as separate localized flash flood conditions persist there, distinct from the Central and Southern Plains event driving the broader count.
The National Weather Service is urging motorists not to attempt to drive around barricades or through flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles, and even six inches of fast-moving water can knock a person off their feet. “Turn around, don’t drown” remains the agency’s standard guidance across all active warning areas.
Residents in Texas communities now under active flood warnings should monitor their local National Weather Service office for river stage updates; Houston weather reflects current flood guidance for the upper Gulf Coast through midweek. For northern Alabama, where the most severe river impacts are concentrated, Huntsville weather will track the Flint and Paint Rock river crests as they evolve.