One Dead. Thousands Without Power Following Record Setting Rain Fall In St. Louis

Rainfall in the St. Louis area exceeded the city’s all-time one-day record of 6.85 inches set on August 20, 1915, and caused widespread flash flooding. Many areas of St. Louis saw 8-10 inches of rain in just under 7 hours.

One person was found dead in a vehicle stuck in about 8 feet of water in western St. Louis, city Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson said. Videos on social media showed surrounding floodwater vehicles and creeping up to apartments and other buildings.

Fire personnel rescued six people and six dogs by boat from flooded homes in St. Louis’ Ellendale neighborhood.

MetroLink’s outdoor Forest Park-DeBaliviere station was underwater as of Tuesday afternoon, and would-be riders should plan for delays of two hours or more, the provider said.

Floodwaters surrounded apartment buildings in the St. Louis suburb of Florissant, and power was out for more than 10,000 homes and businesses in St. Charles and St. Louis counties.

St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis M. Jenkerson said Tuesday that about 70 civilians were helped from flooded cars, and that the water was s heavy in some areas that certain buildings were at risk of collapse.

All four interstate highways heading to downtown St. Louis had at least one closure because of flooding early Tuesday, according to KMOV. The state highway patrol said that motorists were encouraged to avoid I-70 in the St. Louis area.

Human-caused fossil fuel emissions have warmed the planet a little more than 1 degree Celsius, with more warming over land areas. Scientist say this allows moisture to stay in the atmosphere longer and will lead to more and more wild extremes when it comes to rainfall.

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