ST. LOUIS, Dec. 29 (UPI) — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said the death toll in the state will likely rise to 13 as flood warnings remain in effect for parts of Missouri and neighboring Kansas.
The governor said recovery efforts were underway for three people killed after their vehicles were swept away by floodwaters. The Mississippi River was nearly seven feet above flood stage and is expected to rise another eight feet by Thursday, its second highest level since it crested at 43.2 feet in 1973 but short of the 1993 record of 49.6 feet.
The Spring River, the 129-mile waterway that cuts through Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma, was also expected to rise past flooding stage.
“The threat is clearly not over,” Nixon said. “I would ask folks not to lose their focus.”
Missouri officials continue to monitor 280 state roads closed due to flooding and areas bordering the Mississippi River south of St. Louis from flooding threats.
The National Weather Service said the storm system, which also left 11 dead in a series of tornadoes in Texas, will continue to move toward the northeast, bringing heavy rain and snow.
“A significant amount of snow is forecast across northern New England, where total accumulations of 12 to 18 inches are expected,” forecasters said. “Freezing rain is likely across central and southern New England where up to a quarter of an inch of ice can be expected. Farther south, rain moving across the Eastern U.S. could lead to flash flooding in the Southeastern states where local amounts of two to four inches are possible into Wednesday morning.”
