Thunderstorms that slowly and loudly rumbled across southwest and western Iowa Thursday afternoon and evening, left many streets in Atlantic closed for several hours because of high water due to heavy, heavy rain and flash flooding. At the KJAN studios on the northern limits of Atlantic, we measured 3.51-inches of rainfall (from 7-a.m. Thursday through 7-a.m. today). The skies dumped even more rain in town, with Bull Creek flooding leading to water rushing into intersections stretching from 11th and Roosevelt northwest to the vicinity of 11th and Linn near the Washington/Schuler Elementary School, where Police blocked traffic for a time due to high water.

Lawns and streets along the path of the creek, from Oak to Elm, and 11th to 7th Street, were filled with water that had nowhere to go because the storm sewer system couldn’t keep up. Further north, intersections with rapidly flowing, deep water were barricaded or manned by emergency workers, including police, volunteer firefighters and others, but there were some stalled vehicles seen, including in the area of 4th and Elm, and following the initial deluge of rain, at 7th and Walnut, which was one of the intersections to be blocked-off, twice during the evening.

By late Thursday evening, the flood threat had subsided, as rains trickled-off to sprinkles. As of this morning, the Cass County Communications Center said they had no reports of any road closures in Atlantic, but motorists should be watchful for debris on the road from flooding, and tree limbs that may have fallen from the gusty winds that accompanied Thursday’s storms.

Flash Flooding was also reported Thursday in Fremont County, 5-miles south of Thurman, near Percival, and in Tabor. A storm spotter in Panora late Thursday night measured 3.55-inches of rain in their gauge, from storms that fell late Thursday afternoon and evening.