Expansive Flood Threat Fueled by Unusually Strong Northward January Moisture Surge (RECAP)

Don't Underestimate The Power Of Water

A strong storm wrung out flooding rain across the nation's midsection on Jan. 10, then spawned more flooding from parts of the South into the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes on Jan. 11.

Over 150 reports of flash flooding were received by the National Weather Service over those two days.

Yards and basements were flooded on the morning of Jan. 11 in Lansing, Michigan. Shortly thereafter, precipitation changed to freezing rain.

Roads were impassable with up to 2 feet of water in Jonesboro, Arkansas, during the early morning hours Jan. 11.

Water rescues were prompted in the Midtown area of Little Rock, Arkansas, which was swamped by almost 3.5 inches of rain from the storm.

One motorist near Richland, Missouri, was swept off a road, but managed to escape before his vehicle was swept downstream on the night of Jan. 10, according to the National Weather Service.

Parts of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, southern Illinois and Missouri picked up 3 to 5 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service, well above the average monthly January precipitation.

This flood threat was just one of many threats with this storm, including severe thunderstorms, strong winds, snow and ice.

In some of these areas, the total moisture content in the air ahead of the cold front was two to four times what is average for this time of year, nearing all-time January records in parts of the Great Lakes.

Some locations were expected to see major river flooding in parts of Illinois, Indiana and southern Michigan.

The Rouge River in Detroit reached minor flood stage early on the morning of Jan. 12 – its fifth-highest crest on record.

In Illinois, the Kaskaskia River at Vandalia had a near-record crest with major flooding – its third-highest crest on record.

(MORE: NWS River Stage Forecasts)

Flash flooding struck parts of Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and North Georgia the previous week, and some rivers remained above flood stage in the Deep South.

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