The National Weather Service has 11 active flood warnings in effect across six states Wednesday, stretching from the Washington, D.C. metro area through the Mississippi and Missouri River basins to South Texas, as repeated rounds of heavy rainfall raise the risk of flash flooding in already-saturated ground.
In the nation’s capital region, the Weather Service warned that flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall remains possible across the District of Columbia, Maryland’s Central and Southeast Montgomery, Charles and Prince Georges counties, and Northern Virginia, including Arlington, Falls Church, Alexandria, Southern Fauquier, and Central and Southeast Prince William/Manassas. Forecasters urged residents in these areas to monitor later forecasts and be prepared to act quickly if flash flood warnings are issued.
Farther west, a broad swath of the Midwest is under similar threat. Southeast Iowa counties including Wapello, Appanoose, Davis, Keokuk, Washington, Louisa, Jefferson, Henry, Des Moines, Van Buren and Lee face flooding risk through early evening, with the Weather Service noting that rainfall Tuesday evening primed the region ahead of additional rounds. The agency pointed residents to weather.gov/desmoines/water for the latest stream observations and forecasts.
The threat extends into western Illinois — Hancock, Henderson, McDonough, Mercer and Warren counties among them — and northeast Missouri, including Clark and Scotland counties, where flash flooding from excessive rainfall is also considered possible. Missouri’s exposure is the most extensive in this event, with warnings covering dozens of counties stretching from the northern tier (Putnam, Schuyler, Sullivan, Adair) through central Missouri (Boone, Callaway, Cole, Osage, Moniteau) and into the St. Louis metro corridor, including St. Louis City, St. Louis, St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin counties. Excessive runoff in these areas could flood rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying, flood-prone locations, according to the Weather Service.
In South Texas, Live Oak and McMullen counties round out the list of areas under flood warnings, underscoring how widely dispersed this event is — from the Mid-Atlantic to the Gulf Coast, with Alaska also among the affected states.
No single system is driving all 11 warnings; rather, scattered but intense rainfall is overwhelming ground across multiple regions simultaneously. The Weather Service’s guidance is consistent across the affected areas: avoid driving through flooded roadways, monitor updated forecasts, and be ready to move to higher ground if flash flood warnings are issued. Residents in the Des Moines area should track the water resources page for updated river forecasts as conditions evolve through the day.