The multi-day flooding outbreak across the central United States has entered a new and in some ways more dangerous phase: the heaviest rain has ended, but the National Weather Service is carrying 73 active Flash Flood Warnings Sunday — a jump of 19 from Saturday’s count — as saturated ground and rising rivers extend the emergency across seven states from Washington to Louisiana.
Missouri remains the concentrated core. Thirteen counties spread across the state, from Buchanan and Platte in the northwest to Christian, Stone, and Dade in the southwest Ozarks, are under active warnings as floodwaters hold despite the rainfall’s end. The National Weather Service has extended a Flood Warning on the Platte River near Agency in Buchanan County through Tuesday afternoon; at 20.0 feet, the river overtops low-lying areas east of Agency. That warning alone marks a significant shift: what began as a flash flood event is now producing multi-day river flooding requiring days, not hours, to resolve.
Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Washington round out the affected states. Iowa, which was part of Saturday’s warning footprint, has exited the active zone as the event’s center of gravity continues its southwestward consolidation into the Missouri and Kansas corridor.
The transition from active rainfall to residual flooding represents the most lethal window of any flood event. The National Weather Service is emphatic: turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads, as most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or through flooded roadways. Road closures established during peak rainfall remain in force across multiple Missouri counties and have not been lifted.
A Flood Watch for portions of southeast Kansas and central and southwest Missouri remains in effect through 7:00 a.m. CDT Sunday, keeping the formal threat elevated through the morning hours.
Residents in the Kansas City weather metro are directly in the warning zone — Buchanan and Platte counties both fall within active Flash Flood Warnings. Farther south, communities near Springfield, Missouri weather should expect continued road closure impacts across Christian, Stone, and Polk counties as drainage remains compromised.
The National Weather Service has not announced a projected crest time for the Platte River near Agency. With the Flood Warning on that river running through Tuesday and 73 active warnings spanning seven states, this outbreak is tracking as one of the longer-duration multi-state flood events of the early summer — and the residual phase still has days to run.