Flood — Butler, Missouri

2009-10-30 · near Stringtown, Butler, Missouri

Event narrative

Flooding of roads and creeks was fairly widespread. Numerous county roads were under water. A portion of Highway N was closed. Several water rescues were conducted as motorists drove into flooded areas. Three teenagers drowned after their vehicle went into a flooded creek following a crash with another vehicle. The three high school students were in a vehicle that overturned in a flooded creek after colliding with another vehicle on Highway PP. One of the vehicles hydroplaned and struck the other. The three victims were trapped in the overturned vehicle and had to be extricated. The driver of the other vehicle also went into the water but was able to escape with only minor injuries. The incident occurred on the west edge of Poplar Bluff.

Wider weather episode

A prolonged period of moderate rain with pockets of heavy rain caused flooding across the region. The heavy rain occurred along and ahead of a slow-moving cold frontal boundary. Storm total rainfall through the 30th was 3.23 inches at Poplar Bluff, and up to 6.1 inches at Ellsinore in Carter County. The Cape Girardeau airport received only a little over two inches.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.8362, -90.5871)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 198989. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.