A wide band of the central and eastern United States remained under flash flood threat Saturday, with the National Weather Service maintaining 47 active flood alerts across 12 states — Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
The most acute risk is concentrated where southern Illinois, southeast Missouri, western Kentucky and southwest Indiana meet, an area the Weather Service says faces continued flooding “through late tonight” as excessive rainfall saturates ground already near capacity. Forecasters warn the runoff threatens rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying, flood-prone locations, with the potential for extensive street flooding.
In that zone, the National Weather Service office in Paducah extended a Flash Flood Warning covering Hardin, Johnson, Massac and Pope counties and eastern Union County in southern Illinois, along with Crittenden and Livingston counties in western Kentucky, until 8:15 a.m. CDT. Additional counties under flood alerts stretch across the region, including Jefferson, Anderson, Mercer, Shelby, Washington, Nelson, Spencer and Jessamine counties in Kentucky; Clark and Floyd counties in Indiana; and Crawford and Iron counties in Missouri.
Elsewhere, a separate Flood Warning remains in effect in Iowa, where the Cedar River at Charles City is producing minor flooding in Floyd County. The Weather Service says the river will need to reach 15.0 feet before Leland Avenue and Park Drive near 19th Avenue begin to flood; that warning is expected to continue until this evening.
The geographic spread of Saturday’s alerts — reaching as far northwest as South Dakota and as far east as West Virginia — reflects a broader pattern of slow-moving rain systems training over already-wet soil rather than a single storm system. Areas including Louisville weather and Evansville weather sit within or near the most heavily warned counties and should expect continued monitoring through the weekend.
The Weather Service is urging drivers not to attempt to cross flooded roads, noting that most flood deaths occur in vehicles: “Turn around, don’t drown.” The agency also cautioned pedestrians to stay away from riverbanks as water levels rise. Residents in flood-prone areas of the affected states should monitor updated forecasts, as officials say additional Flood Warnings are possible if rainfall continues.