By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Rounds of showers and thunderstorms are possible across the region Monday night and several more times this week.
There are continued chances for showers and storms practically every day this week and into the upcoming weekend.
National Weather Service meteorologist Brent Pesel at the Pleasant Hill office says the good news is the severe weather threat this week is low, but some creeks and rivers could swell.
"So we do expect the rivers to rise," he said. "There are a few well south of St. Joseph that have entered into flood stages, but we aren't expecting the Missouri to enter flood stage."
Localized flash flooding is also possible in areas of heavier showers. Additional rainfall will aggravate flooding along area rivers, creeks and streams.
There is a Flood Warning for the Stranger Creek at Easton impacting Atchison and Leavenworth Counties in Kansas through Tuesday morning.
Pesel says the biggest threat is potential flash flooding in area rivers and streams.
"Certainly the smaller creeks and tributaries, especially in urban areas, do respond fairly quickly when it rains," Pesel said. "Especially with larger amounts. All of that water and runoff does eventually end up in the Missouri River.
Major flooding along the Missouri River is not expected over the next few days. The St. Joseph area could see an additional 1-3 inches of rain this week. St. Joseph recorded 0.68 inches on Monday morning, while Pleasant Hill received 2.72 inches.
Pesel also noted that it has been a fairly quiet severe weather season across northwest Missouri and northeastern Kansas so far this spring.
"It has been fairly quiet for us," he said. "May and June are usually very active months for severe weather and definitely our best chances. But, right now it's been fairly quiet and we're pretty happy about that."
Pesel says it's wise to always be prepared for severe weather. Have multiple ways to receive weather alerts and have a preparedness plan in the event of a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning in your area.
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