Life-threatening flooding and dangerous severe weather pummeled large swaths of the nation’s heartland again Friday night for the third night in a row, and Saturday is shaping up to be just as bad, if not worse, for some areas with worries of heavy rainfall not seen in generations.
In a sign of what could be yet to come for many this weekend, torrential rains stalled over southeastern Missouri and the Texarkana region of northeastern Texas and southwestern Arkansas on Friday night, triggering multiple Flash Flood Emergency warnings – the National Weather Service’s most dire flooding alert.
In Missouri, tens of thousands in Cape Girardeau and Van Buren were under flooding emergency Friday night. Cape Girardeau reported over 3 inches of rain in just over 90 minutes late Friday evening in one burst, with emergency managers reporting at least 10 roads covered in water and ongoing water rescues.
Farther south, forecasters issued similar dire warnings for Texarkana, where 2-4 inches of rain fell, and water rescues were ongoing.
Texarkana police were responding to stranded motorists on Friday night across the Texas city during the Flash Flooding Emergency.
“We’re just gonna lay it out there … If you don’t have a darn good reason for being out (like one that involves a visit to the emergency room), please stay home and off the roads!! This is not just another Friday night in Texarkana,” the Texarkana Police Department wrote on Facebook.
