The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued lightning flood warnings for some parts of Iowa, Illinois and Missouri, because thunderstorms in the region bring strong and rapid precipitation.
Why it matters
Floods are the second deadliest meteorological risk on a national scale, most deaths occurring when vehicles are swept away by water up. On July 4, the sudden floods of Texas killed at least 135 three Always missing.
In mid-July, the NWS published a record number of warnings of splashes for the beginning of the year, with 3,160 warnings issued until July 16, according to the Iwawa University of Iowa Iowat Mesonet Tracker.
What to know
In a Saturday opinion, the NWS warned that parts of the three states are under light flood warnings due to the expected thunderstorms that will bring heavy rain. Saturday morning, “between 2 and 5 inches of rain fell” and the “expected precipitation rate is 0.25 to 1 inch in 1 hour”.
For some parts of the south-eastern Iowa, the Illinois center-west and the sudden floods in northeast Missouri already occur, warned the NWS. The Missouri Ministry of Transport reported that parts of certain roads have been closed due to the water on the roads.
NWS warned people to “turn around, not to drown when you meet flooded roads”, noting that “most of the flood deaths occur in vehicles”.
Almost half of the Iowa is also under an extreme heat watch on Saturday, while July continues to cook the area with frequent three -digit heat indices. The heat index values reflect how hot it feels when the temperature and humidity are taken into account.
What people say
Nws monks wrote in a Friday x, formerly Twitter, post: “Dangerous heat and humidity are built in Iowa until the beginning of next week. The maximum values of the heat index should exceed 100 degrees everywhere, with a few places potentially exceeding 110F! An extreme heat watch has been emitted for the West / Central of Iowa from Sunday.”
Meteorologist Accreather Alex Dasilva previously said Nowsweek:: “When the atmosphere heats up as a whole … Essentially what it does is to summer and the older shoulder seasons. What is happening are these seasons, especially in summer, the [atmosphere’s] The ability to have more humidity also increases. This does not guarantee that we will see more rain in a certain area, but … when it rains, it will rain heavier. “”
Michael Lowry, specialist in hurricanes and storm expert, wrote in a post of July 15: “Until now, in 2025, more spills have been issued by @nws than any year recorded (since 1986).”
Chief Meteorologist Accreather, Jon Porter, said in an article on July 21, Accuweather: “Until now in 2025 in the United States, there has been a 70% increase in sudden flood reports when you compare this to the historic average of 10 years in mid-July.”
What happens next?
Many lightning flood notices are until 11:30 am local time.
The research and rescue teams paint the banks of the Guadalupe river after a flood flood swept the region on July 12 in Kerrville, Texas.
AP photo / Eric Gay