Rain storm inundates city streets

COLUMBUS - Numerous city streets were immersed in water following the Wednesday afternoon downpour. Gene Groene, the city streets department superintendent, said, according to the department gauge, the local area received an inch and a half of rain during the span of about an hour.

The amount of rainfall forced the closure of Eighth Street from 25th to 26th Avenue for a period of time and other streets, such as the area of 26th Avenue and 22nd Street, 28th Avenue and 12th Street and 12th Avenue from 10th Street to 11th Street, were submerged but not closed.

As of 4:30 p.m., Groene said most of the high water had receded.

“Everything is in pretty good shape, except by the YMCA and 26th Avenue and 22nd Street,” Groaning said. “The storm sewers are running at full capacity and it may be a good hour before the water recedes.”

He said crews will be out in the morning clearing the drains and all the storm sewers should be emptied out.

The city “should be OK if another rain hits tomorrow as long as it is not another real heavy one like did today,” Groaning said, but if it does “there is not much a person can do.”

The Loup Power District Powerhouse reported 1.14 inches of rainfall from midnight through approximately 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.

According to the National Weather Service, additional rainfall, between a quarter and half inch, are possible overnight and into Thursday with a lingering chance of thunderstorms continuing through Friday.

The National Weather Service posted flash flood warnings and watches over much of southwest Nebraska through Wednesday afternoon, anticipating more rain where nearly 9 inches was reported Tuesday morning.

The service also posted tornado watches until 7 p.m. Tuesday for several western Nebraska counties - from Dundy in the far southwest corner north to Cherry County.

Sheriff Tim Sutherland of Chase County reported that U.S. Highway 6 had been closed by more than 2 feet of water on the roadway. Several county roads west of Sand Draw also were washed out.

The sheriff and a deputy were stranded by the flooding overnight and had to drive over into Colorado and then up through Benkelman to get back to the Chase County seat of Imperial.

on Tuesday, Frenchman Creek was reported surging over the dam at Champion. Those conditions were expected to continue Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in North Platte

National Weather Service forecaster Kenny Roberg in North Platte said 8.73 inches were recorded in the last 24 hours eight miles west of Champion.

More than six inches was reported in western Hayes County as well, he said, and a little over 5 inches west of Grant in Perkins County.

“We have a co-op observer in Imperial who reported 2.55 inches,” Roberg said. The city was on the edge of the heavy rain that started late Monday afternoon.

He said tropical moisture had moved into already unstable, warm conditions over southwest Nebraska.

“Early on we did have thunderstorms,” Roberg said, “but the main damage came from flash flooding.”

More of the same was expected later Tuesday and into Wednesday.

“All of west Nebraska is probably going to see 1 to 3 inches with locally higher amounts,” Roberg said. “We're expecting to see the heaviest precipitation starting this afternoon into evening, spreading northeast into north-central Nebraska,” reaching the eastern side of the state later Wednesday.

“Everybody will get a little rain out of this one,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.