Everyone has heard of April showers but ones in August, especially like those Monday, are not common in Pettis County.
With only a day into the month, residents in parts of the county received more than six inches of rain Monday, some recording near 10 inches of rain in the morning and throughout the afternoon.
“While they were predicting rain for the area what we received (Monday) was really quite a surprise,” Sedalia-Pettis County Emergency Management Agency Director Dave Clippert said Monday afternoon. “We certainly weren’t expecting this.
“We have had some reports of gravel being washed out on some roads in the county but overall we have been really very lucky when you consider the amount of rain we have recorded (Monday),” he added. “The National Weather Service has continued to extend the flash flood warning for our area every hour (Monday); now it’s until 9 p.m. (Monday) night but if the rain stops soon I think that may be lifted for the area.”
Even if the flash flood warning is canceled, Clippert advised motorists, especially those in western and northern Pettis County, to use caution when driving.
“Parts of northern Pettis near Hughesville and Houstonia and areas around La Monte near the Johnson County line have already reported more than six and a half inches of rain,” Clippert said. “We still need individuals to be careful on the roadways because no life is worth risking by driving through standing water on roads or bridges.”
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for small streams until 3:30 p.m. Tuesday in Pettis County, Cooper County, Lafayette County, Johnson County, Saline County, southern Howard County and Henry County. According to information from the NWS, excessive runoff from heavy rainfall has caused flooding of small creeks and streams, country roads, farmland and other low lying spots.
Although Monday’s rainfall may seem like a record amount, the highest total recorded for August by NOAA was 9.71 inches on Aug. 5, 1980. The average rainfall for the month is 3.49 inches.
Monday’s temperatures were also lower than average, with afternoon temperatures barely reaching the mid 80s. Clippert said those conditions were not expected to remain as a heat wave was expected to return Tuesday.
“We could have some pretty hot temperatures in the upcoming days with some high heat indexes,” Clippert added.
The National Weather Service is predicting cooler temperatures for the upcoming weekend.
“It’s really too far out to be predicting what the forecast will be for the (Missouri State) Fair,” Clippert said. “Of course we are all hoping for good weather, cooler temperatures and record-setting crowds, which would be ideal for everyone.”
