Flash Flood in McDonald County, Missouri

Several periods of heavy rain in conjunction with little vegetation over the winter months set the stage for widespread flooding across much of extreme southeast Kansas and southern and central Missouri. In McDonald County, numerous roads and low lying areas were inundated and impassable by motorists. The flooding caused two fatalities near the city of Noel as an elderly couple tried to cross a stream by foot that swept them down stream. The woman was found several days later in Grand Lake Oklahoma near the Cowskin Creek bridge, while the man was also found several days later in the Elk River near the Oklahoma - Missouri state line. Other locations in McDonald County that experienced flooding include, the Elk River through much of the county, a section of Highway 43 over Buffalo Creek, numerous streets in the community of Southwest City, a bridge near the intersection of Highways C and CC, several county roads county wide, and a section of Kings Highway near Noel.