Weekly Weather Event -Week of July 25
July 29, 2022St. Louis has endured an extreme flash flood emergency earlier in the week. On Tuesday, the city experienced a record-breaking 9 inches of rainfall. Hundreds of people were rescued from their homes and at least one person was found dead. The excessive rainfall event consisted of several rounds of thunderstorms along I-70 causing the major interstate highway to be closed off in both directions for nearly 3 hours. The National Weather Service estimates that St. Louis received 25% of its normal yearly rainfall amount in just 12 hours.
More recently, even more catastrophic flooding in Kentucky confirmed at least 16 people dead. The deadly flash flood warnings began Wednesday night and continues into Friday and the weekend. Flooding has caused more than 20,000 power outages for residents, many homes completely submerged and cars floated away. On Friday morning, President Joe Biden has issued a federal disaster declaration for 13 counties in Kentucky.
Meanwhile, flash flood warnings are also in effect in Las Vegas as water gushes through casino floors such as Circa Casino, Caesars Palace and Planet Hollywood. Thursday became Las Vegas’ second night of monsoonal storms with more to be expected.
Water can be extremely dangerous because it can move with high amounts of pressure. Water moving at over 6 mph can exert the same amount of pressure as air moving at EF5 tornado wind speeds according to The Weather Channel. Flash floods can occur very suddenly and create a lot of damage. As the National Weather Service says, “Turn Around, Don’t Drown”, move to higher ground, and stay out of flooded areas especially with flowing water.