Extreme Weather Hits Midsection US

Temperatures to plunge 30 degrees below normal, as flooding displaces thousands 

As a strong cold front pushes across the central U.S. on Tuesday, parts of the central & southern Plains can expect winter-like precipitation, stretching from Colorado across Kansas and the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma and into southern Iowa. The precipitation should taper off by Tuesday evening. In addition, temperatures will be as much as 30 degrees below normal across the region on Tuesday. —NWS

Meantime, at least six rivers in Illinois have surged to record levels, inundating homes and businesses and displacing thousands of people, as extreme weather continued across parts of central and southern Plains.

The hardest hit communities, including Elmhurst, Des Plaines, River Forest, Bellwood, Riverside, Moline, Quincy, Bartonville, North Aurora, Marseilles, Ottawa, North Utica and Morris.

“We have seen some of the worst flooding damage to neighborhoods and homes across our state in Illinois history,” said Illinois Governor Quinn, declaring 44 counties state disaster areas.

Counties included in the state disaster declaration are Adams, Brown, Bureau, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Champaign, Cook, DeKalb, Douglas, DuPage, Fulton, Greene, Grundy, Hancock, Henderson, Henry, Jersey, Jo Daviess, Kane, Kendall, Knox, Lake, LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, Mason, McDonough, McHenry, Mercer, Morgan, Ogle, Peoria, Pike, Putnam, Rock Island, Schuyler, Scott, Stark, Tazewell, Whiteside, Will, Winnebago and Woodford.

US Weather Hazards Map. Source: NWS

Missouri: Gov. Nixon declared a state of emergency in Missouri on Friday after a strong storm system that included heavy rainfall led to flash flooding in many parts of the state and to rapidly rising rivers levels on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

“The sustained periods of heavy rainfall has swollen creeks and streams and is pushing the Mississippi River over flood levels, endangering river communities,” declared Nixon.

Flood Warnings

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued Flooding Warnings in parts of at least 16 states, as more rain continued to swell rivers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi.

• How Homo Ignarus Killed Spring March 21, 2013

• Disaster Diary – April 22, 2013 – City of Grand Rapids Declares a State of Emergency