Flood — Wright, Missouri

2020-11-22 · near Mansfield, Wright, Missouri

Event narrative

A vehicle was swept of the low water crossing on Highway AB at Wolfe Creek during the early morning. An 18-year old female drove into the flooded low water crossing around 12:30 AM, and drowned while trying to escape her vehicle.

Wider weather episode

Several upper level disturbances passed over the frontal zone and interacted with increasing low level moisture to produce several rounds of moderate to heavy rainfall from the evening of the 20th to the pre-dawn hours of the 22nd. Rainfall accumulations for the 48-hour period ending at 3 AM on the 22nd ranged from one to two inches, with the highest totals over the eastern Ozarks. Localized flooding of low water crossings over southwest and south central Missouri led to two fatalities during the early morning of the 22nd. The first fatality occurred in Wright County at AB Highway north of Mansfield along Wolf Creek. An 18-year old female drove into the flooded low water crossing at around 12:30 AM, and drowned while trying to escape her vehicle. The second fatality occurred in Dent County around 5 AM. A driver with a six-year old passenger drove into the flooded low water crossing on Highway TT at Crooked Creek northeast of Salem. The driver was able to swim to safety, but the 6-year old was swept downstream and drowned.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.1700, -92.5300)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 928547. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.