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Category: Weather

Missouri Farm Bureau president says this year’s flooding is worse than 2011 flood

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By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst (right) speaks with USDA Under Secretary Bill Northey during Northey’s visit to observe northwest Missouri flooding.

Agricultural losses from this year’s flood could easily top one billion dollars, with worries that more flooding could be coming this year.

Missouri Farm Bureau President Blake Hurst says this year’s devastation is worse than the last major flood which hit northwest Missouri.

“Two thousand, eleven was an awful flood,” Hurst says. “This has been worse. And, to compound that, farmers in 2011 had several weeks’ notice that there was a chance there would be flooding, that the river is coming up.”

Hurst says floodwaters ruined last year’s crop which many farmers were storing in grain bins.

“Guys harvested their crops last year. They put the crops in the grain bin. They had planned on marketing it throughout this year,” Hurst says. “So, when they lose that grain and have their land under water, they basically lost two years of crop instead of one. So, it’s a real disaster for farmers and communities up and down the Missouri River.”

This flood has caused incredibly widespread damage, hitting Nebraska extremely hard after a northern dam on the Niobrara River broke apart and sent water cascading down into the Platte River and the Missouri River basin system.

It has damaged farmland in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas.

Some cities, such as Watson in extreme northwest Missouri, got hit with flooding for the first time. The city of Hamburg in southwest Iowa took on more water than ever before.

Craig, Big Lake, and Lewis and Clark Village all suffered damage to homes.

Many residents suffering losses from this year’s flood blame the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Hurst has heard the complaints and is hesitant to place too much blame on Corps officials in the Omaha and Kansas City districts, focusing more on the Corps officials who determine how the Missouri River will be managed through the Missouri River Master Manual.

“The Corps manages under a set of rules,” Hurst says. “As far as I know, they have followed those rules. The bigger question is are the rules, is that master manual, doing all it can do to give us the flood protection we need? And I think the answer to that question has to be, ‘No.’”

Missouri River basin flooding has destroyed more than 50 levees over a 350-mile stretch along the Missouri, leaving much farmland and many communities vulnerable to more flooding yet this year.

 

 

Chance of rain this afternoon with temps in the low 60s

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There’s a chance for some showers today across mainly northern Missouri and Kansas. The best chances will be along and north of a St. Joseph to Chillicothe line. Tonight, rain becomes likely, especially into central Missouri. Temperatures will be close to normal with highs today in the upper 50s to middle 60s. Lows tonight will be in the middle 40s to lower 50s. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: A chance of showers, mainly between noon and 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 63. Southeast wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers likely, mainly after 3 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 48. East southeast wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday: A chance of showers before 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 59. East wind 5 to 7 mph becoming north northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 44. Northeast wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Calm wind becoming south southeast 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon.

Friday Night: A slight chance of showers after 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Saturday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Monday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 46.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

Hamburg, Iowa begins recovery efforts, but it is unlikely everyone will return (SLIDESHOW)

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By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

A main thoroughfare in Hamburg, submerged in floodwaters.

Missouri River floodwaters are receding slowly from the small southwest Iowa town of Hamburg and a former mayor doesn’t expect everyone to return.

Terry Holliman owns the NAPA Auto Store, flooded when the Missouri River broke through the Hamburg levee March 18th and inundated about two-thirds of the city.

“It’s a big financial loss for most people that can least afford it,” Holliman tells St. Joseph Post.

Holliman says the poorest residents took the brunt of this flood.

“The lower areas are the lower income families, the ones that can least afford a loss,” Holliman says, surveying the damage, adding, “It’s going to be hard on everybody.”

Levees held in the past, keeping the flooded Missouri River at bay.

Not this year.

Holliman estimates the floodwaters rose to a crest two feet higher than in 2011. The levee couldn’t hold back the flood. It breached around three in the morning March 18th, prompting officials to go door-to-door, knocking on doors, ordering people to leave their homes. At best, residents had eight hours to evacuate, according to Holliman.

Holliman says while the long recovery process is underway, not everyone who called Hamburg home plans to pick up where they were before the levee breached.

“So, we have a lot of recovery, a lot of rebuild (ahead). A lot of people will simply not come back to town, because of the loss of homes,” Holliman says. “We’ll probably lose, easily, 200 people I would say.”

Hamburg is a city with a population of slightly more than one thousand.

As for the attitude toward the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Holliman says Hamburg residents have believed for some time the Corps has failed to manage the Missouri to prevent flooding.

“The dams and the levees were built in the 50s for flood protection. They’ve now switched that. They no longer are about flood protection, they’re about environmental and recreational,” according to Holliman. “They sat there during the winter with their dams full, knowing they’re going to have runoff from snowmelt and no place to put it, except down the river.”

Congressional members have made the same complaint. Corps officials in Omaha and Kansas City say the management of the Missouri River system with its six upstream dams has changed a bit since widespread flooding, notably the devastating 1993 flood. Still, some in Congress complain the Corps doesn’t prioritize flood prevention highly enough.

Temps near 57 with chance of rain on the way

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We’re still over a month away before we’re statistically in the clear from freezing. But for the next week, there are no freezing temperatures in the forecast. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 57. Southwest wind 7 to 10 mph becoming north northwest in the morning.

Tonight: A chance of showers, mainly after 4 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 44. Calm wind becoming east southeast around 6 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. South southeast wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers. Cloudy, with a low around 47. East southeast wind 7 to 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday: A chance of showers before 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 58. East wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 66.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51.

Saturday: A chance of showers after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 73. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 52. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 68. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 65.

Breezy and sunny with temps in the upper 50s

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While it will be a cold start to the day, with temperatures around freezing, the week ahead will feature near normal temperatures. Highs by the end of the week are expected to climb into the mid 60s. There will be a few chances for showers, mainly Wednesday into Thursday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 57. South southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Tonight: A slight chance of showers after 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. South wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday: A slight chance of showers before 8 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. West southwest wind 7 to 9 mph becoming northwest in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tuesday Night: A chance of showers after 2 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 42. West northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Wednesday: Showers likely, mainly between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 59. East southeast wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Wednesday Night: Showers likely, mainly after 2 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Thursday: Showers likely, mainly before 8 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.

Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 72.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.

Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

A very slow recovery begins in northwest Missouri as worries continue about more flooding

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By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Flooded fields in Atchison County.

Atchison County, which has taken the brunt of the flooding in northwest Missouri, is beginning the slow recovery process, even as residents worry about future flooding this spring.

A lot of recovery is ahead, according to North District County Commissioner Richard Burke.

“It’s a real disaster in Atchison County, especially from I-29 to the river,” according to Burke. “And that’s basically everything in the flood plain in Atchison County. That takes in 70,000 acres.”

Floodwaters have receded from Watson as well as Craig in neighboring Holt County.

“So those people are back in there cleaning up,” Burke says. “They just hope this doesn’t happen again. We’re fearful that there’s more water coming and these levees are already broken and they are not going to be fixed, probably within two years.”

South Atchison County Commissioner James Quimby says residents have come together to help in recovery.

“I think they’re holding up good, kind of coming together, helping each other to do what we can,” Quimby says.

Officials from Atchison and Holt Counties came together to form a joint disaster relief committee, which held a joint recovery/relief meeting in Rock Port Thursday. Local, state, and federal agencies provided information to flood victims and steered them toward programs which could help.

No one can predict what might come this spring as northern snowmelt enters the Missouri River system and spring rains begin. Private levees in Atchison County and Holt County sit broken, with repairs unlikely this year.

 

 

Rain and storms likely with temps in the 40s

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Strong to severe storms, in addition to flooding concerns, are possible beginning this afternoon and evening. Flooding concerns within low-lying areas will continue through Saturday morning. Some storms this afternoon and evening may produce isolated hail up to one inch in diameter, along with isolated wind gusts up to 50 to 60 mph. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 11 a.m. High near 47. Northeast wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers, mainly before 4 a.m. Low around 38. Breezy, with a north wind 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday: A chance of showers, mainly before 10 a.m. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 44. Breezy, with a north wind 13 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Widespread frost before 2 a.m., then widespread frost after 3 a.m. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 25. North wind 5 to 13 mph.

Sunday: Widespread frost before 8 a.m. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 49. North wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 30.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 57.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 61.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 45.

Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 65.

Wednesday Night: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Thursday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 62. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Rain and storms likely today with temps near 65

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It’s going to start as another nice Spring day across the Central Plains, but southerly winds will bring moisture and eventually showers and perhaps strong thunderstorms to the region by this afternoon. So, anyone with outdoor plans for the afternoon should plan on having a rain coat today at a minimum; and you will want to keep that rain coat handy Friday and Saturday as the storms will persist on-and-off into the weekend. Additionally, this rain will complicate ongoing flooding near and along the Missouri River. Otherwise, expect cooler temperatures this weekend with a hard freeze both Sunday and Monday mornings. So, don’t put any of your sensitive plants out just yet! Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Showers and thunderstorms likely before 2 p.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., then showers after 4 p.m. High near 65. Calm wind becoming east northeast 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Tonight: Showers. Low around 46. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday: Showers before 10 a.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., then showers after 4 p.m. High near 49. Northeast wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Showers, mainly before 1 a.m. Low around 38. North wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday: A chance of showers before 1 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 45. North wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 30.

Monday: Sunny, with a high near 56.

Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 38.

Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 63.

Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 47.

Wednesday: A chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 66. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Windy and partly sunny with temps in the 70s

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It’s going to be a lovely early Spring day, if a bit windy. Highs today will top out around 70 degrees with the help of a gusty south wind. Warm temperatures will generally hang out through the end of the work week. However, rain will return to the region Thursday, persisting on-and-off through Friday, with several rounds of heavy rain possible as a slow moving cold front presses south Friday. This will likely result in flooding issues Thursday and through the weekend, and will absolutely aggravate ongoing flooding along the Missouri River. The weekend is looking a bit cool, so get out there and enjoy the day! Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:

Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 72. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 36 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 54. South southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.

Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m., then showers and possibly a thunderstorm between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., then showers after 4 p.m. High near 64. South wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east northeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Thursday Night: Showers likely, with thunderstorms also possible after 4 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 47. Northeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Friday: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 53. East northeast wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Friday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Low around 36. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.

Saturday: A chance of showers before 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 46. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26.

Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 48.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.

Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 63.

Holt County “fully exposed” after flood breaches several levees

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By BRENT MARTIN

St. Joseph Post

Floodwaters swamped Craig last week.

Missouri River levels might be falling in northwest Missouri, but Holt County continues to fight the flood.

Holt County Presiding Commissioner Tom Bullock says though the Missouri level has dropped, floodwaters are receding very slowly at Big Lake, around the town of Craig, and elsewhere. Bullock says efforts have been ongoing the past couple of days to keep floodwaters from breaching a levee protecting the town of Fortescue.

“There’s so much current going down through it. It’s already washed the Highway 159 bridge out south of town here,” Bullock says. “Just too much current, too much water.”

Bullock says the flood breached several levees in Holt County, leaving the county “fully exposed” to flooding this spring.

“When usually the river runs high anyway and we have a report from the Corps of Engineers that they’re already opening up the gates a little bit up north,” Bullock says. “That water should be getting here in about three days. So, that will come about the same time the rains are supposed to come this weekend. It just keeps people nervous all the time.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers increased releases from Gavins Point Dam from 50,000 cubic feet per second to 90,000 cfs on March 14th after the Spencer Dam in northern Nebraska failed, sending water from the Niobrara River into the Missouri River system. The Corps intended to bring releases down to 20,000 cfs, but stopped just short of that, reducing releases from Gavins Point to 24,000 cfs. Releases have been steadily increasing, from 27,000 cfs to a projected 36,000 cfs on Thursday.

Northwest Division Chief John Remus with the Army Corps Missouri River Management Division says the Corps is increasing the releases to prepare the upstream dam system for northern Missouri basin snowmelt. He says the system has 85% of its flood storage remaining.

The Missouri River dropped below major flood stage this morning, falling below 27 feet at St. Joseph. It crested just over 32 feet on Friday.

Bullock says floodwaters have receded enough for some residents to return to their homes in Craig and Big Lake.

An informational meeting for flood victims will be held in Rock Port Thursday. The multi-agency information meeting begins at noon at the Velma Houts Building in Rock Port. The meeting runs until 8pm. The meeting is sponsored by the Atchison-Holt Disaster Relief Committee.

For more information about the meeting, click here for the Holt County web page.

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