The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch until Tuesday morning for eight counties along the Oklahoma border, including Sumner and Cowley.
More than six inches of rain has fallen in far southern and southeast Kansas over the past two nights, the agency reports, and with more rain in the forecast flooding is a concern.
Other counties in the watch include Elk, Wilson, Neosho, Chautauqua, Montgomery and Labette.
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for small streams and urban areas of northwestern Barber and northeastern Comanche counties until 1:30 p.m.
Radar indicates as much as five inches of rain had fallen near Sun City in Barber County. Flooding of streets and roads in and near Sun City and Lake City is likely, the agency reported.
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The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for the Neosho River near Parsons until Thursday afternoon.
The Neosho River is forecast to crest at about 25.9 feet, nearly 5 feet above flood stage of 21 feet. Homes near the river could experience basement flooding, the weather service warns.
A flood warning has been issued for Neosho, Montgomery and Labette counties until 10:30 a.m. today. As much as 3 inches of rain has fallen in the area, and another 2 inches could fall today, forecasters say.
Flood warnings have also been issued for Bourbon, Cherokee and Crawford counties of southeast Kansas until 1 p.m. today. Officials in the Springfield, Mo., branch of the weather service said radar and rain gauges in the area indicate between 3 and 6 inches of rain have fallen in the warned area.
Sedgwick County Emergency Management has finalized its storm spotter training class schedule for this spring. These sessions are in addition to the classes offered by the National Weather Service.
The emergency management presenters use the same course developed by the weather service. Their classes are simply more opportunities for residents who can’t make it to one of the weather service sessions.
The National Weather Service office in Wichita has released its schedule of storm spotter training classes for the region. They start next week in Sedan and continue through early April.
The classes are free and open to the public. This year’s sessions are expected to last about 90 minutes.
Additional classes will be scheduled by emergency management directors in each county, though those schedules have not yet been released.
Street flooding ignited by substantial rains has prompted more than a half-dozen rescues from flooded vehicles this afternoon, authorities say.
No injuries have been reported from the rescues, which have taken place around the city and also in Valley Center north of Wichita. According to a Sedgwick County dispatch supervisor, the rescues have taken place at the following locations:
In Wichita:
13th and Maize
Murdock and Arapaho
37th North and Tyler
21st and Amidon
Harry and Seneca
14th and Meridian
In Valley Center:
400 S. Meridian
The National Weather Service has recorded 1.46 inches as of 4 p.m. The rains began falling in earnest at about 10:30 p.m. Street flooding has been most prominent in west Wichita, authorities say, primarily along Maize Road from Kellogg to 13th Street. No homes have flooded, however.
More than 11,000 Westar Energy customers are still without electricity this morning after a strong storm pounded the Wichita area late Wednesday night.
The outages are spread throughout the city, with power lines and some utility poles down, authorities say. Winds of nearly 70 miles an hour were reported at Jabara Airport in northeast Wichita at 10:45 p.m., said Scott Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
“There are reports of downed poles throughout the area,” said Leonard Allen, a Westar spokesman.
He does not have an estimate on the numbers yet, though.
Wichita recorded 2.25 inches of rain from the storm, along with straight line winds that downed tree limbs throughout the city. Many streets flooded in the torrential rains, and roof damage and flooding were reported at Mid-Continent Airport.
A flood warning remains in effect until 8:30 a.m. in eastern Sedgwick County. More rain is possible today,forecasters say, with highs topping out at about 98. But it will be quite muggy, with heat index values of about 105.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Hermine are closing in on Wichita, forecasters say, with rain already reported in Wellington and Derby.
Expect a light, steady rain to persist through dawn Thursday, forecasters say, with an inch or two falling in Wichita and heavier amounts south and east of the metro area.
“It does look like southeastern Kansas is going to get quite a bit more” rain, WeatherData meteorologist Phil Warren said.
Chanute, for instance, could get 6 inches of rain, he said. Butler County may receive 3 inches.
A trough moving east will be pushing the heaviest rain away from Wichita, Warren said, so the city could receive a welcome soaking rather than amounts that could induce flooding.
But the National Weather Service is keeping the flood watch through Thursday intact for the city because the storm’s remnants feature tight gradients.
That means the system is organized in such a way that two cities not that far apart on the map could receive significantly different rainfall amounts.
“We’re just on the western edge” of the heavier rain, said Chris Jakub, a National Weather Service meteorologist, so the flood watch for Wichita is being maintained as a precaution.
The National Weather Service in Wichita has issued flood warnings for a number of counties in central and southcentral Kansas as substantial rain continues to fall in the region.
The warnings last until 2:15 p.m. for northeastern Reno County, Rice County, southeastern Ellsworth County and southwestern McPherson County. Radar estimates nearly 4 inches of rain was measured in Nickerson in Reno County, and more rain is expected.
More than 2 inches of rain has been recorded in Wichita so far this morning, and a flood warning is in effect for southern Sedgwick County until 1:15 p.m. today.