Active flash flood warnings more than doubled Thursday to 65 across 11 states — a sharp reversal from what had appeared to be a tapering trend — as fresh rainfall reactivated river systems through the central Plains and pushed the outbreak into new territory, including Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin.
The National Weather Service’s count stood at 31 Wednesday, itself down from 52 Tuesday and a peak of 72 Monday. Thursday’s jump to 65 alerts also marks a change in character: Wednesday’s coverage centered on sustained river flood warnings tied to cresting rivers; today’s dominant alert type is the flash flood warning, signaling faster-moving, more immediate surface and stream flooding across a wider footprint now spanning Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Missouri is the outbreak’s sharpest focal point Thursday. The South Fabius River near Taylor, North River at Palmyra, Middle Fabius River near Ewing, and North Fabius River near Ewing are all experiencing or forecast to reach moderate flood stage, according to the National Weather Service. Counties under active alerts in the state include Marion, Lewis, Chariton, Macon, Linn, and Livingston — a northeast Missouri corridor draining into the Mississippi River system.
Iowa’s southwest and south-central counties are absorbing a significant share of the new activity. Adair, Adams, Madison, Union, Fremont, and Page counties are under active alerts as runoff from recent precipitation pushes local streams toward and beyond bank-full levels.
Texas and Louisiana remain part of the active alert map, with Gulf Coast areas including the Houston weather region still under watch as residual moisture from the broader pattern sustains flood potential along southern drainages.
The geographic expansion to new states — Iowa and Wisconsin in particular — suggests the storm system driving the flooding continues to find moisture and instability across a wide corridor of the central and upper United States rather than consolidating and contracting.
The National Weather Service advises that motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive through flooded areas. River forecast and stream gauge data are available through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at water.noaa.gov.