Flash Flood in Dade County, Missouri

A vehicle with two occupants was swept off a low water crossing on County Road 143 at Limestone Creek. One occupant was able to make it to safety but the second, a 65 year old male, drowned.

A stalled front from the storm a system on May 2-3 moved northward back into the Ozarks as a warm front as a strong upper level low over southern Colorado moved eastward into the southern Plains. This led to another several rounds of widespread heavy rainfall that occurred from the late morning of the 4th to the early morning of the 6th, when the surface low exited the area. Widespread accumulations of two to five inches occurred, with isolated accumulations over six inches over parts of Jasper and Dade Counties. Numerous reports of flash flooding indicated that not only were low water crossings flooding, but major highways as well. Evacuations were conducted at both Roaring River State Park in Barry County and at Bennett Spring State Park on the Dallas/Laclede County Border. Several people were stranded in cabins and RVs at Bennett Spring during the peak of the flood. There were 11 swift water rescues reported in southwest Missouri. Unfortunately, there was one fatality in Dade County when a 65-year old male drove into a flooded low water crossing and was swept downstream after exiting his vehicle and attempting to swim to shore.