Flash Flood — Bollinger, Missouri

2019-11-30 · near Sedgewickville, Bollinger, Missouri

Event narrative

Flash flooding of two creeks resulted in two separate fatal incidents involving vehicles swept off roads. In the first incident, a vehicle carrying four people was swept away at the low water crossing of the Little Whitewater Creek on County Road 356. This location is several miles south of Sedgwickville. Two of the occupants lost their lives, and the other two were treated for injuries. The survivors were the 33-year-old male driver and a 2-year-old boy. Two young boys aged 5 and 8 years old were killed. The location of the flash flood fatalities was in a hilly area, where numerous low water crossings are prone to frequent inundation. A volunteer firefighter familiar with the area estimated the water depth was 3 to 4 feet where the driver of the SUV attempted to cross the creek. The injured victims were airlifted or taken by ambulance to regional hospitals with moderate to serious injuries. The victims were all members of the same family. In the second incident, a truck was swept away at the low water crossing of Upper Whitewater Creek on County Road 234. This location is a couple miles east of Sedgwickville. The 48-year-old male driver from Louisiana was killed. The vehicle was found upside down in the water.

Wider weather episode

A round of significant flooding occurred on the last day of November as a warm front lifted north, bringing warm moist air and providing a focus for showers and thunderstorms. Several rounds of moderate to heavy rain moved across the area. The earlier rounds of rain primed the ground for flooding. Storm total rainfall amounts were 3 to 4 inches. There were sharp and significant rises on smaller tributaries in northern Bollinger County. Low water crossings flooded in many areas, including Upper Whitewater Creek and Little Whitewater Creek. Three people died, including two small children, in two separate events at low water crossings on these two creeks.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.4531, -89.9549)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 863301. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.