Historic rainfall event hits St. Louis, leaving homes and highways submerged, U.S.
Historic levels of rainfall fell over St. Louis, Missouri overnight Tuesday, July 26, 2022, causing widespread flash flooding.
In the first 7 hours of the day, St. Louis recorded 204.7 mm (8.06 inches) of rainfall, breaking the previous all-time daily rainfall record from August 20, 1915, of 173.9 mm (6.85 inches) brought by remnants of the Galveston 1915 Hurricane.
Some storm rainfall totals have reached 152 – 254 mm (6 – 10 inches), according to the National Weather Service, with rainfall rates of 25 – 75 mm (1 – 3 inches) per hour. Isolated rainfall rates up to 125 mm (5 inches) per hour were also reported.
“This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!” the National Weather Service wrote in the Flash Flood Emergency issued for St. Louis through 09:30 LT today.
Along Hermitage Avenue, St. Louis firefighters rescued 6 people and 6 dogs from 18 homes in the neighborhood that has experienced “substantial flooding.” Another 15 are riding out the storm, Fox Weather reported.1
In western St. Louis, law enforcement officials reported water was encroaching on homes in the Ladue area, with water rescues underway. Spotters reported several cars were stranded along Lindbergh Boulevard just north of Interstate 64. More cars were stranded by floodwaters in the Maryland Heights neighborhood.
St. Louis Fire crews were using small boats to rescue drivers trapped along Skinker Parkway, where several vehicles were submerged.
Both Fee Fee Creek and Deer Creek have exceeded major flood stage, the NWS reported.
“Most of the flooding reports have been from St. Louis proper and areas northwest of there,” weather.com senior meteorologist Chris Dolce said.2
There was one report of up to 279.4 mm (11 inches).
“The worst of it seems to be over. There’ll be some moderate rainfall rates and some possibly heavy locally through mid-morning before it really tapers off,“ Dolce said. “Of course, we’ve still got flooding ongoing.”
The rainfall is moving east, so people in its track need to remain vigilant.
References:
1 Flash Flood Emergency underway in St. Louis amid ‘historic’ rainfall event – Fox Weather – July 26, 2022
2 St. Louis Flood Emergency Live Updates: Cars Stranded, Rescues Ongoing – TWC – July 26, 2022
Featured image credit: KMebus
If you value what we do here, create your ad-free account and support our journalism.
Your support makes a difference
Dear valued reader,
We hope that our website has been a valuable resource for you.
The reality is that it takes a lot of time, effort, and resources to maintain and grow this website. We rely on the support of readers like you to keep providing high-quality content.
If you have found our website to be helpful, please consider making a contribution to help us continue to bring you the information you need. Your support means the world to us and helps us to keep doing what we love.
Support us by choosing your support level – Silver, Gold or Platinum. Other support options include Patreon pledges and sending us a one-off payment using PayPal.
Thank you for your consideration. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Teo Blašković
Commenting rules and guidelines
We value the thoughts and opinions of our readers and welcome healthy discussions on our website. In order to maintain a respectful and positive community, we ask that all commenters follow these rules:
We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these rules. By commenting on our website, you agree to abide by these guidelines. Thank you for helping to create a positive and welcoming environment for all.