A multi-day soaking is lined up for the Missouri River corridor, and forecasters warn the ground has nothing left to absorb it.
The National Weather Service has issued Flood Watches for much of eastern Nebraska and western and central Iowa, running from Tuesday evening, September 29, through Thursday evening, with the Des Moines-area watch lasting into late Thursday night.
Travelers moving through Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Sioux City and Grand Island should plan for wet highways, ponding on roads and the possibility of closures at low-water crossings.
Where the Flood Watches Are in Effect
The NWS office in Omaha/Valley placed a new watch over 26 eastern Nebraska counties, including Douglas, Sarpy, Lancaster, Dodge, Platte, Cass, Otoe and Gage, plus eight southwest Iowa counties such as Pottawattamie, Mills, Harrison and Page. Cities covered include Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Papillion, Fremont, Norfolk, Columbus, Beatrice and Council Bluffs.
Farther west, the Hastings office extended the watch across south-central Nebraska, including Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings, York and Lexington, while the North Platte office covers Lincoln, Custer, Chase, Perkins, Hayes and Frontier counties, among them North Platte and Broken Bow.
In Iowa, the Des Moines office continued a watch across much of central and north-central Iowa, from Des Moines, Ames and Waterloo to Mason City, Fort Dodge and Marshalltown. The Sioux Falls office added Woodbury, Cherokee, Buena Vista, Ida and Clay counties in northwest Iowa, along with Dakota County, Nebraska, covering Sioux City, South Sioux City, Storm Lake and Spencer.
How Much Rain Is Expected
Most of the region is looking at 2 to 4 inches of rain through Thursday, and the Omaha office says some spots could top 5 inches. In south-central Nebraska, where many communities already picked up 3 to 5 inches last week, forecasters are calling for another 3 to 5 inches, with the heaviest runoff expected Wednesday into Thursday.
The core problem is the soil. The Omaha office warned that “area creeks and streams are running high and could flood with more heavy rain.” In central Iowa, forecasters expect the rain to fall in a southwest-to-northeast band, raising the risk of flash flooding and pushing some rivers above flood stage.
Part of the moisture feeding this system traces back to two eastern Pacific hurricanes, which has turned an ordinary autumn rain into a prolonged event.
What Drivers and Travelers Should Do
- Never drive into flooded roads. Just a foot of moving water can float many vehicles.
- Expect slower travel on I-80, I-29 and I-35 during heavy downpours, especially at night when standing water is hard to spot.
- Avoid parking or camping near creeks, streams and drainage ditches through Thursday.
- Check river levels and forecasts on NOAA’s National Water Prediction Service and the Des Moines office’s water page before heading out.
A Flood Watch means conditions are favorable for flooding, not that it is already happening. Forecasters say residents in flood-prone areas should be ready to act quickly if the watch is upgraded to a Flood Warning or Flash Flood Warning. More preparation tips are available on the NWS flood safety page.
