Rivers will continue to surge and more storms could be on the way across the Midwest on Tuesday, as well as dangerously high temperatures, as the region reels from severe flood damage and widespread disruption.
Some 31 million people are at risk of severe weather Tuesday evening, with as much as 2 inches of rain per hour possible in parts of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota.
Potential storms Tuesday morning could bring hail bigger than 2 inches, winds of more than 60 mph and a few tornadoes, the National Weather Service warned.
At least two people are known to have died as a result of flooding.
The flooding has set records at various points along the Des Moines River Basin: the surge at Estherville, Iowa, was 17.14 feet as of 3:20 p.m. Monday and was forecast to rise even higher, according to the agency.
So far, almost 3 million people have been affected in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa, where President Joe Biden declared a major disaster Tuesday morning and pledged federal aid to support state, local and tribal recovery efforts.
The aid would go to “areas affected by severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds, and tornadoes beginning on June 16, 2024, and continuing,” a White House statement said.
Affected residents can apply at DisasterAssistance.gov.
There is a marginal to slight risk of more excessive rainfall causing more flash floods from Tuesday onward, with a slight risk warning in place for the middle Mississippi Valley.
The Sioux City Railroad Museum in Iowa posted pictures on Facebook showing exhibits underwater. Aerial pictures shot by a drone showed McCook Lake, west of Sioux City, had burst its banks and turned surrounding streets into rivers.
A dam in Minnesota was damaged Monday and was said by local officials to be at risk of imminent collapse, but there have been no moves to evacuate local people.
Extreme heat will only add to local difficulties, with temperatures in the upper-90s, possibly more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit in places, expected over the central Plains and the Mississippi Valley and spreading into much of the Lower 48 states.
Heat warnings and advisories over the potentially dangerous conditions are in place from southern Iowa and Nebraska down to Texas and the South.
In Las Vegas, this month is set to be the hottest June on record, with temperatures 11 degrees higher than normal. An excessive heat warning is also in place for desert areas of Los Angeles County.
