The watch lasts through Tuesday afternoon. Scattered thunderstorms are expected to continue overnight in the warned area, with rain falling on already saturated ground.

The counties included in the watch are Reno, Harvey, Butler, Greenwood, Woodson, Allen, Kingman, Sedgwick, Harper, Sumner, Cowley, Elk, Wilson, Neosho, Chautauqua, Montgomery and Labette.

Cities in the watch area are Wichita, Hutchinson, Newton, El Dorado, Augusta, Andover, Kingman, Sedan, Yates Center, Anthony, Harper, Wellington, Winfield, Arkansas City, Chanute, Coffeyville, Independence and Parsons.

Radar indicated thunderstorms with very heavy rainfall were striking the warned area, with rainfall rates of more than an inch an hour indicated with the stronger storms.

With the ground already saturated in many areas, flooding is likely in the warned areas.

The basin most affected by the rainfall will be the north fork of the Ninnescah River.

Expect more episodes like this over the next several days, forecasters warn.

With skies clearing later today in the Wichita area and Tuesday expected to be dry, it will give area waterways several precious hours to ease back from flood conditions.

Radar indicates 1 to 2 inches of rain have fallen in the area, with another 1 to 3 inches possible over the next few hours.

Another flash flood warning has been issued for portions of Dickinson, Geary and Morris counties in northcentral Kansas until 10:15 p.m.

Sporadic thunderstorms are expected to deliver as much as 3 inches of rain in parts of the watch area by Monday morning.

Other counties included in the flood watch are Marion, Chase and Greenwood north and east of the Wichita area.

The counties named in the declaration are Anderson, Butler, Chase, Cowley, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Lyon, Russell, Sedgwick, and Sumner.

“Although people often think of tornadoes as the big destructive force of nature in Kansas, floods can be just as damaging, if not more so,” Sebelius said. “While tornadoes are generally limited in scope, floods affect many, many square miles, destroying or damaging roads, bridges, power lines and other vital infrastructure.”

Local damage assessments are continuing and federal assistance may be requested as the damage total rises.

The record for most rain in a 24-hour period in Wichita was 7.99 inches on Sept. 6-7, 1911. As of 1 p.m. today, 8.27 inches of rain had fallen….in just 12 hours. That number will climb, too.

“We’re not done yet” with the rain, National Weather Service meteorology intern Jerilyn Billings said.

Talk about an unwanted record……

With more rain expected well into Saturday, widespread flooding would be no surprise.

Chance Hayes, warning coordination meteorologist for the local branch of the National Weather Service, said he is forecasting 4 to 5 inches of rain for Wichita by Sunday night. That’s still a lot of rain, but it’s half what some forecasting models were projecting on Wednesday.

Flooded streets and highways will be a concern this weekend because the soil is already saturated, so be alert and cautious when traveling. Floods – particularly flash floods – kill more people each year than any other weather phenomenon.

Why? Because people underestimate the force and power of water, and 60% of all flood deaths result from people trying to cross flooded roads in vehicles…and the water sweeps them away.