Rivers across the Midwest have reached record high levels with more moisture in the forecast in the coming days. Meteorologists are warning that major river flooding will persist as additional storms roar across the region to bring the month of June to a close. Here is what you need to know.
Flooding Concerns Heightened Across North Central U.S.
The north central U.S. has been hit by torrential rain and severe storms for the last few weeks, sending water levels in rivers past their banks. This rocky weather pattern is going to linger through June, meaning that floodwaters will be slow to recede.
A handful of major rivers across southwestern Minnesota, northeastern Nebraska, northwestern Iowa, and southwestern South Dakota are expected to be in major and record flood stage this week. This includes the Big Sioux and the West Fork of the Des Moines rivers.
How wet has it been in this part of the country? Sioux Falls, South Dakota hit a measurement of 10.8 inches of rain thus far in June, making it the city's second-wettest month in history. The only June that saw more moisture happened in 2014 when 13.70 inches of rainfall. To put this into perspective, the historical average for June is 4.23 inches.