Water Rescues Reported in Des Moines Amid Flood Emergency
Late Saturday heavy thunderstorms continued to roll across parts of the Plains and Midwest, especially Iowa. Numerous reports of water rescues were reported in the Des Moines metro area according to Polk County Emergency Management.
BREAKING NOW – Main roads, side streets, interstates, and on/off ramps are being reported underwater Saturday evening. The US National Weather Service Des Moines Iowa reports no travel is advised in Polk County overnight, including all of the Des Moines metro.
Posted by WeatherNation on Saturday, June 30, 2018
"PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION" A flash flood emergency is in effect for the Des Moines metro area. Severe flash flooding is occurring in Polk County with reported water rescues per @NWSDesMoines Do not attempt traveling through floods #IAwx pic.twitter.com/hoBUoBxGsA
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) July 1, 2018
*Note* The above image/tweet was captured as of about 10 p.m. central Saturday, June 30.
Since this is an ever-changing story, we encourage the following sources for a means of information. For local weather information regarding this story, please visit the National Weather Service – Des Moines office either on Twitter here or via Facebook here.
Iowa State Highway 210 will be closed by Iowa DOT east of Maxwell due to flooding. We also receiving reports of issues along U.S. Highways 65 and 69 in Polk County. There are also portions of Interstate 80/35 that are covered in water in the metro as well. DON'T TRAVEL IN POLK CO
— NWS Des Moines (@NWSDesMoines) July 1, 2018
There were multiple reports of flooded roads across the Des Moines area late Saturday. It’s important to remember the phrase ‘Turn Around, Don’t Drown” when it comes to flooded roads. Also unless travel is necessary, it’s recommended to stay put and not drive in these conditions, especially at night.
The flooding was the result of thunderstorm after thunderstorm across the state.
These rain gauges caught 1-2″ of rainfall, but the select red and maroon colors showed as much as 3-5″ of rainfall in a 24-hour period ending late Saturday.
More thunderstorms are expected through at least 3 a.m. local time, even possibly until 7 a.m. Sunday. Please stay weather aware and refer to the links above for additional information into early Sunday.
For WeatherNation, Meteorologist Steve Glazier