ST. LOUIS — Heavy rain and storms hit the St. Louis area Tuesday, leading to flooded homes, road closures, water rescues across the region and resulting in two deaths.
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A flood warning was extended for the Mississippi River at Chester, Grafton and Winfield.
The following counties are under a flood watch through Wednesday morning for the following areas:
- Randolph County, Illinois
- Washington County, Illinois
- Crawford County, Missouri
- Iron County, Missouri,
- Madison County, Missouri
- Reynolds County, Missouri,
- St. Francois County, Missouri
- Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri
- Washington County, Missouri
MoDOT closed the inside lanes of Interstate 270 in both directions at North Florissant Road, and those lanes will remain closed until Wednesday due to heavy flooding.
Interstate 64 was closed in both directions in Illinois between mile markers 50 and 61 and exits 34 and 61 due to intense rain and flooding.
Tuesday morning began with pockets of heavy rain, mainly on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River. Several inches of rain fell from Vandalia, Illinois, to Salem, Illinois, prompting flash flood warnings.
A dam failed in Nashville, Illinois, prompting an evacuation of about 200 homes. One woman had to be rescued from waist-high waters inside her home.
An elderly Alton couple died after their car became trapped in flash flooding on Beltrees Road in Jersey County. A third person in another car was able to get onto the roof of his car until he could be rescued.
In Belleville, people worked quickly to pull 40 dogs from the flooded St. Clair County Animal Services. Those dogs were taken in by Gateway Pet Guardians, who called for fosters and donations as they dealt with the influx of pets.
Multiple water rescues occurred in St. Clair County, Illinois, and Lincoln County, Missouri, according to the emergency management agencies.
Emergency officials are reminding residents to use caution and never drive through flooded roadways. According to NWS, just 6 inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing loss of control and stalling. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon your car and move to higher ground.
